Chiefs expect Kelce to play Thursday
Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce is expected to be available when the Chiefs play the Broncos on Thursday night, despite hurting his ankle when he slipped on the turf in last Sunday’s win over the Vikings.
The Chiefs did not practice Monday, but Kelce was listed as “did not practice” on the injury report, which was an estimation of what would have happened. He went through a walkthrough Tuesday and Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he would be on the field for practice with the expectation that he will also be on the field Thursday night.
“He’s got quite a little bit of treatment on it and he’s feeling better, which is good,” Reid said. “He’s always been honest with me on things like that, and just see how he does.”
Kelce hurt his ankle late in the first half Sunday, and for a while it appeared that the injury would be significant. Kelce slammed his helmet down on the sideline in frustration, and he headed to the locker room for X-rays before the end of the half.
After receiving some treatment and stretching on the sideline, Kelce talked his way back into the game in the second half, and he came up with a couple of big plays down the stretch. His touchdown reception late in the third quarter made it a two-possession game, and he finished with 10 catches for 67 yards and a score in the 27-20 victory.
Kelce has only missed one game because of injury since his rookie season, and that was Week 1 last month, when he hyperextended his knee in practice.
Dolphins’ Achane out
Dolphins rookie running back De’Von Achane will miss multiple weeks after suffering a knee injury in last Sunday’s win over the Giants.
According to NFL Network, Achane’s injury is not expected to sideline him for the rest of the season.
“Something that we’re treating that we’ll get more information on,” coach Mike McDaniel said. “He thought that he might have something, but he’s such a tough kid that it was kind of tough to read.”
Achane, whom the Dolphins selected in the third round of the 2023 draft, leads the league with 12.1 yards per carry and is second in total yards rushing with 460 despite having only 38 carries — 61 fewer than the 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey, who leads the NFL with 510 yards.
Vikings’ Jefferson to IR
The Vikings will place wide receiver Justin Jefferson on injured reserve, forcing the 2022 NFL Offensive Player of the Year to miss at least the next four games because of a hamstring injury. Jefferson slipped on the US Bank Stadium turf while trying to make a cut on his route during a third-down pass deep in Kansas City territory and limped slowly to the sideline after grabbing the back of his right leg in the fourth quarter of last Sunday’s 27-20 loss to the Chiefs . . . The Cardinals placed leading rusher James Conner on injured reserve following a knee injury in Sunday’s loss to the Bengals. It’s another blow for the Cardinals (1-4), who already are missing franchise quarterback Kyler Murray and two-time AllPro safety Budda Baker because of injuries. Conner ranks eighth in the NFL with 364 yards rushing and is averaging 5.4 yards per carry . . . The Rams agreed to terms on a trade to send receiver Van Jefferson and a seventhround draft pick in 2025 to the Falcons for a sixth-round pick in 2025.