Jay Glazer gives worrisome last-minute injury update on Travis Kelce

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce mysteriously showed up on the injury report late in the week. Will he play in the AFC Championship Game?

Travis Kelce had back spasms late in the week, which caused a surprising appearance on the injury report prior to the AFC Championship. Kelce is a vital part of the Chiefs offense, especially with Patrick Mahomes also dealing with an injury — a high ankle sprain.

Mahomes mobility is expected to be limited. He’ll need an outlet, and a tight end with the ability to make plays after the catch is a rare specimen. Kelce fits that bill as one of the best tight ends in all of football.

Is Travis Kelce playing today?

Travis Kelce is expected to play in the AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, per reports. Despite experiencing back spasms during the week of practice leading up to the game, Kelce is expected to be ready to go by game time.

Kansas City activated Jody Fortson from injured reserve, which some fans took as a sign Kelce would not play. However, that has proven not to be the case, as the Chiefs expected to have their star tight end in tow on Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead.

NFL insider Jay Glazer said that Kansas City will need to see Kelce run in pregame warm-ups before making a final decision.

That is cause for concern given the severity of his injury. However, Kelce was able to run without much pain pregame.

Patrick Mahomes injury update for Chiefs

Other than Kelce, another major injury to watch is quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Kelce’s quarterback has a high ankle sprain which is expected to limit his mobility, and perhaps keep him in the pocket at a greater rate. Mahomes is known as an innovator at the position, but he’ll have to play a different style than he’s accustomed to on Sunday.