The Kansas City Chiefs (10-6) roll into the final week of the regular season with the AFC West division clinched, and are locked in as the third seed in the AFC playoff bracket. Making their final game in Los Angeles meaningless from a competition standpoint when they face the Chargers on Sunday.
Head coach Andy Reid announced to the media on Wednesday that quarterback Patrick Mahomes would not play in Week 18 and backup Blaine Gabbert would be getting the start under center. He also said various players at other positions would be rotated, and many of the team’s reserve players would get valuable playing time.
“[Patrick Mahomes] won’t play,” Reid told reporters on Wednesday. “Blaine [Gabbert] will take over at that spot and we’ll rotate the other guys in as we go.”
One player Reid hasn’t yet confirmed for Sunday is tight end Travis Kelce, who is only 16 yards shy from reaching his eighth-consecutive 1,000-yard season for his career. During his rare mid-appearance during Wednesday’s press conference, Gabbert spoke about the incredible milestone Kelce is so close to reaching.
“The best part about the culture that we have here is there’s a lot of selfless individuals. I know you’re getting at Travis 16 yards away from 1000. We all know that, but, you know, that’s not how Trav plays,” Gabbert said. “He wants team success first, and he’s always been that way. He genuinely loves football, and if he wants to play, he’ll play, and if it’s Coach (Andy) Reid’s decision to have him rest, he’s going to rest, and ultimately, that’s on Coach Reid. But you know, if we’re out there, we’re gonna do our damn best to get him 17 yards.”
Kelce’s playing status has been one of the main talking points leading into Kansas City’s Week 18 matchup. While the selfless decision seems like a no-brainer for the veteran tight end to rest up for the playoffs, having him out on the field longer enough to reach 1,000 receiving yards would also be something special for Kelce to achieve and for fans to witness.
“It’d be a lot of fun,” Gabbert admitted. “I think he’s got a big string of 1000-yard seasons in a row, and I know tight ends [don’t] come even close to that. And now, you’re getting into the receiver talk. The Mike Evans of the world has done 10 or 11 straight now this year, and that’s a rare special group of individuals – Hall of Fame individuals – to kind of have that run in a row. So, he may say it doesn’t mean anything, but it means something for the quarterback and for this organization to get [him] another 1000 yards.”
Kelce’s 1,000-yard season streak began in 2016 when he finished the season with 1,125 receiving yards on 85 receptions while scoring four receiving touchdowns. Since then, the all-pro tight end has registered 1,000 receiving yards every year. One more would further stamp his mark in the NFL history books as one of the greatest tight ends to play the game.
