Travis Kelce chose not to play for the Chiefs in the last game of the regular season against the Chargers, despite being just 16 yards away from a record eighth straight 1,000-yard season.
The tight end was limited in Chiefs practice with a neck injury in the days building up to the game in Los Angeles but was tipped by many to play and get his record. But speaking after Sunday’s win – the Chiefs recorded a 13-12 victory – coach Andy Reid said that Kelce ruled himself out of the game in order to keep himself as fresh as possible for the playoffs. ‘Travis is a humble, humble guy. He didn’t want to be selfish, or come across as selfish,’ Reid explained.
‘The players wanted him to play but he goes “you know what, I don’t like the way it feels “. He’s not into that, he chose not to play. I completely understand it. But that’s him. Most guys would have gone out and done it but he said “I’ve got a lot of records, I’m not going to do it this way.”‘ The Chiefs, last season’s Super Bowl winners, will play the Miami Dolphins at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday night as the playoffs begin.
The Chiefs beat the Dolphins in a November regular season held in Germany, sealing victory with a score of 21-14 but since then, the team has struggled badly at times and lost five of the following eight. Kelce, 34, said in an interview earlier this season with the Wall Street Journal that the pain of injuries in the NFL is one thing he has not ever spoken about too openly.
He missed the first game of the season, a surprise loss for the Chiefs against the Detroit Lions, with a knee issue but returned and played every game up to the Chargers. ‘That’s the only thing I’ve never really been open about, the discomfort. The pain,” Kelce said. “The lingering injuries – the 10 surgeries I’ve had that I still feel every single surgery to this day.’
