Kansas City Chiefs updates — Travis Kelce suffers sprained ankle injury after Minnesota Vikings game – see final score
TRAVIS Kelce was injured during last night's Chiefs game against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Kansas City Chiefs player went down after slipping on the field and was seen throwing his helmet on the ground and screaming before heading to the locker room for X-rays on his ankle.
After doctors reported that the NFL star's X-rays came back negative for a break, Travis returned to the game at the beginning of the second half with a heavily taped ankle - and the Chiefs went on to beat the Vikings 27-20.
Following the game, Chiefs' head coach Andy Reid confirmed the star had suffered a sprained ankle, but gave no update on whether he will return for Thursday's game.
While Travis is still rumored to be dating Taylor Swift, the superstar was nowhere to be seen at Sunday's game.
The Chiefs return home on Thursday to play the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium.
Follow our Kansas City Chiefs updates blog for the latest news...
NFL helmet rule
The NFL rules state that the removal of a helmet by a player in the field of play or the end zone during a celebration or demonstration, or during a confrontation with a game official or any other player will result in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Fans were left fuming last night after L’Jarius Sneed was not penalized for removing his helmet during the Chiefs match against the Vikings.
Fans slam officiating call
After yesterday's game, fans are livid that L’Jarius Sneed was not penalized for taking off his helmet.
One fan said in response to the footage: "Tell me the NFL ain't rigged..."
Another added: "Chiefs got away with pass interference AND defensive back removing helmet to question the call. #SwiftEffect."
A third raged: "NFL isn’t going to be able to defend that. Brutal for the Vikings."
Recap of last night's game
Patrick Mahomes had 281 yards and two touchdowns in last night’s win at US Bank Stadium.
Travis Kelce still showed out, even if Taylor Swift wasn’t there.
The tight end had 10 catches for 67 yards and a touchdown.
Isiah Pacheco scored another touchdown and has taken over in the Chiefs backfield.
Chiefs return Thursday
The Kansas City Chiefs are set to take on the Denver Broncos at TNF this week at Arrowhead Stadium.
Patrick Mahomes is 11-0 to the Broncos in his NFL career.
ESPN host claims Travis and Taylor rumors are a ‘stunt’
ESPN host Elle Duncan had some strong beliefs when discussing the Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift rumors.
She responded to the video of Travis and Taylor walking together, calling it a “stunt.”
Elle explained: “And there was nothing more clear that it was a stunt than watching them leave the arena together. He looked nervous.
“He looked like he had zero game. It was the most platonic walk of all time. That’s all I kept thinking when they were walking by.
She added that Taylor is very private when it comes to her romantic relationships, adding to her skepticism surrounding Taylor’s relationship with Travis.
“We never find out who she’s dating until she writes about them years later. And I’m supposed to believe that she’s got a real thing brewing after what I saw on Sunday. Lies. No. I will die on this hill. They are not dating,” she concluded.
Meet Clark Hunt
Clark Hunt is the part-owner and CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs, born on February 19, 1965, in Dallas, Texas.
Before becoming a force in the American football industry, Clark dabbled in Major League Soccer.
He, alongside his father, ran the Sporting Kansas City.
His father, Lamar Hunt, is the founder of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Apart from owning the NFL team, Clark also owns the MLS club, FC Dallas.
Travis & Taylor timeline: Welcome to New York
Taylor attended Travis‘ game for the second weekend in a row at Met Life Stadium.
She sat in his suite with an entourage of her closest friends and cheered on her rumored beau.
NFL fans and Swifties went wild for her attendance, but Travis later said on his podcast that the continuous shots of her at the game was “overdoing it.”
Taylor didn't attend the Chiefs' game this Sunday.
Travis & Taylor timeline: Travis addresses the rumors
After Travis and Taylor were spotted leaving The Arrowhead, the NFL star finally addressed the rumors on his podcast.
Jason pressed Travis on their night out together and he responded: “Shout out to Taylor for pulling up. That was pretty ballsy.”
“I just thought it was awesome how everybody in the suite had nothing but great things to say about her. The friends and family. She looked amazing. Everybody was talking about her in a great light. On top of that, the day went perfect for Chiefs fans, of course. We script it all, ladies and gentlemen.”
He added: “I know that I brought all this attention to me, I’m the one that did the whole friendship bracelet thing and told everybody how butthurt I was that I didn’t get to meet Taylor.”
Travis concluded the segment by saying that he wanted to respect both of their personal lives.
Travis & Taylor timeline: The Arrowhead
Travis and Taylor were finally spotted together when she attended his home game at The Arrowhead.
She sat in his suite with Donna Kelce and appeared to have a blast.
After the game, the two were spotted walking out of the stadium together and rode off into the sunset in Travis’ stylish convertible.
The two were then pictured together later that night at a private party for friends and family of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Travis & Taylor timeline: The Pat McAfee Show
Travis Kelce was a featured as a guest on The Pat McAfee Show on September 21.
Pat gave Travis the floor to address the rumors and he gladly took the opportunity.
“It’s hilarious how much traction this has actually got,” he said.
“This is like the old school game called telephone, where everybody is just whispering in everybody’s ear. No one actually know what’s going on.”
He then called out his brother Jason for giving fans mixed messages and added: “Please everybody stop asking my brother.”
Travis concluded: “I threw the ball in her court and told her, ‘I’ve seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead. You might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead and see which one’s a little more lit.'”
Travis & Taylor timeline: Jason comments on romance again
Jason Kelce went back on his original statements on Travis and Taylor’s romance when he jokingly said the rumors were “100 percent true.”
“I don’t really know a lot about what’s happening in Travis’ love life and I try to like keep his business kind of his business – and stay out of that world,” he told the 94WIP radio station.
“But having said that, man, I think he’s doing great – and I think it’s all 100 percent true.”
He then clarified that he was just joking but fans were quick to believe his statement.
Travis & Taylor timeline: Travis shoots a failed shot
Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network reposts an August 2 conversation with Travis in which he inquires about Taylor Swift.
Travis responded: “I said what I said. And I meant what I said when I said it. And you know what, it is what it is.
"I’m not gonna talk about my personal life. I know what you writers wanna hear, and you wanna hear more about that and I’m not gonna give you anything.”
When asked if Taylor “reached out,” he absolutely shut down any inquiries on the matter, telling the camera, “And that’s gonna wrap it up here…”
Travis & Taylor timeline: Mums the word with Jason
Travis’s brother, Jason, was requested to provide an update on the relationship between his brother and Taylor in September.
“I’ve seen these rumors. I cannot comment,” Jason told former NFL star Tony Gonzalez before promoting his brother’s 2016 reality dating show.
“Ever since Catching Kelce, everybody’s been infatuated with Travis’s love life,” Jason said at Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football postgame panel.
“I don’t really know what’s going on there, but I know Travis is having fun and we’ll see what happens with whoever he ends up with.”
Travis & Taylor timeline: ‘Quietly’ hanging out
The Messenger then reported that the pair was “quietly hanging out,” despite not officially dating or confirmations of any kind.
“Taylor and Travis have been quietly hanging out,” a source told the outlet after Travis announced his desire to give Taylor a friendship bracelet.
“She saw him when she was in NYC a few weeks ago,” the source added.
Travis & Taylor timeline: Travis attends the Eras Tour
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift have dominated headlines in recent weeks with their rumored relationship.
The rumors first swirled when Travis talked about attending the Eras Tour on his podcast with Jason Kelce, New Heights.
He revealed to Jason that he made Taylor a friendship bracelet with his number on it.
Jason jokingly asked if it was his phone number or his jersey number, to which Travis replied: “You know which one.”
He added that he was “butthurt” about not being able to give her the bracelet as she doesn’t talk to anyone prior to her concerts to preserve her voice.
More on Ed and Donna Kelce
During an episode of the New Heights podcast, Donna Kelce told her sons, Travis and Jason the story of how she met their father, revealing that she was supposed to be on a date with another man at the time.
“He came up to me with the illustrious pickup line, which was, ‘Did you say Joe?’ And I said, ‘No.’ And he said, ‘Oh I thought you said Joe.’ I said, ‘Is your name Joe?’ And he said, ‘No, it’s Ed,'” Donna recalled.
“…I was supposed to go out with a guy that night. We were supposed to go to a play and I never made it.
“Your dad and I talked forever … It was meant to be. It’s just the way it was.”
While Donna and Ed’s meeting might’ve been “meant to be” they ultimately divorced after more than 20 years of marriage.
Meet Ed Kelce
Ed Kelce is best known as the father of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.
The oldest of two children, he grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and comes from a long line of veterans.
“Blue collar town, blue collar part of Cleveland, great neighborhood,” Ed described during an appearance on his sons’ New Heights podcast.
“It was a lot of fun,” he added.
While Ed might be the father of two high-profile NFL players, he often keeps details of his personal life out of the spotlight, however, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he revealed that he worked in the steel industry and would often bring his kids to work.
Travis Kelce responds to NFL ratings
After Taylor Swift attended the Chiefs–Jets game, NFL ratings surged to 27million viewers, with a spike in female viewership.
Speaking on their New Heights Podcast, Travis‘ brother Jason explained that this viewership included over 2million women.
A confused Travis responded, asking: “How do you even calculate that? There’s gendered TVs?”
Jason jokingly suggested, “You just base it off all other things on that TV they watch, and it’s like, ‘Oh yeah this is definitely a female right here.'”
Later, he added: “Maybe the craziest stat of this whole thing, ratings were partly powered by a spike by female viewership in the demographic of teenage girls. A 53-percent surge.”
Again, Travis was dumbfounded by this stat, calling it “f**king bogus” as he called on the NFL to “show me how you got this stat.”
Safety scoring
A safety is scored when any of these occur:
- The ball carrier is tackled or forced out of bounds in his own end zone
- The ball becomes dead in the end zone, with the exception of an incomplete forward pass, and the defending team is responsible for it being there
- The offense commits a foul in its own end zone
Refusing franchise tags
Star athletes who have previously refused the franchise tag include:
What exclusive tags mean
Players with an exclusive franchise tag do not have the right to negotiate.
They are unable to negotiate with other teams and all of the arrangements are to be facilitated by the team they are signed to.
However, non-exclusive players can negotiate their salary and potential trades.
NFL athletes who sign a non-exclusive contract are given more power than players who have an exclusive contract.
Franchise tag, explained
A franchise tag is used in the NFL to secure a player when they are about to become an unrestricted free agent.
If the team and the player agree to the conditions, the player is secured to the team for one year.
The NFL first introduced the franchise tag in 1993.
Travis Kelce’s mother made NFL history
Ahead of the 2023 Super Bowl, The Pro Football Hall of Fame honored Travis and Jason Kelce’s mother, Donna Kelce, on X, formerly known as Twitter, by posting a photo of her in an iconic custom jersey made of mashed-up Chiefs and Eagles tops.
“At Super Bowl LVII, Donna Kelce will officially become the first mother to have two sons play against each other in the Super Bowl,” the post read.
The brothers played on the same team at Cleveland Heights high school before reuniting on the Bearcats’ football team while in college at Cincinnati.
What to know about tight end Travis Kelce
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was born in Westlake, Ohio, on October 5, 1989, to Ed and Donna Kelce.
The 33-year-old tight end has had a successful athletic career, winning Super Bowls LIV and LVII with the Kansas City Chiefs.
His 35-year-old brother, Jason Kelce, plays center for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Both were up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and attended the University of Cincinnati after playing football for their respective high school teams.
When the brothers squared off in Super Bowl LVII, which the Chiefs won 38-35, they made history.
They also co-host the New Heights podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce.
Kansas City Chiefs' schedule, continued
The Kansas City Chiefs will play:
- Week 14 (12/10) – Playing the Buffalo Bills at Arrowhead Stadium
- Week 15 (12/18) – Playing the New England Patriots at Gilette Stadium
- Week 16 (12/25) – Playing the Las Vegas Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium
- Week 17 (12/31) – Playing the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium
- Week 18 (TBD) – Playing the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium
