Travis Kelce Praised for Gritty Performance in KC Chiefs’ Week 5 Win vs. Minnesota Vikings

The Chiefs are quite impressed by the toughness Kelce displayed on Sunday afternoon in Minnesota.

Just give me a minute. Let me see what I can do here. 

According to Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, that was Travis Kelce's message to him after the tight end went down with a right ankle injury in Sunday afternoon's 27-20 win against the Minnesota Vikings. Following some evaluations from the training staff before and during halftime, the All-Pro came back out onto the field and ramped up a bit on the sideline in advance of his much-anticipated return to play. Telling Reid that he intended to rejoin his teammates, Kelce would go on to do just that less than halfway through the third quarter.

In all, Kelce finished Week 5 with a season-high 10 catches for 67 yards and a touchdown. He converted on all but one of his targets in the game, striking fear into the Minnesota secondary. In a performance that saw Kelce display "resilience," per defensive tackle Chris Jones, the NFL's best tight end had five catches for 45 yards and a score on his first drive back on the field despite looking hobbled still. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes tipped his cap to Kelce for such a gritty showing of toughness, comparing that mindset to his own. 

"It was a little weird because it happened right before half," Mahomes said. "We obviously had that two-minute drive and then you get back to the locker room, they're looking at it and stuff like that. Obviously, if Travis is out of the game, it hurts, but I knew he was trying to get back in. I feel like Travis has the same mindset as I do — if you give him the window like he can get back in the game, he's going to get back in the game. Competitor, man, that's why he's one of the greatest. He'll battle through stuff like that, and he came back and made a lot of great catches for us." 

As many remember, Mahomes suffered a high-ankle sprain during the Divisional Round of last year's playoffs and had to briefly exit the contest. After some back-and-forth with the training and coaching staff, he later returned and helped play a role in the Chiefs' win that ultimately jumpstarted their run to Super Bowl LVII. While it's unclear exactly what the severity of Kelce's respective injury is, Mahomes said the situation vaguely reminded him of his own from earlier this calendar year. Kelce, not 100%, played through the injury and delivered. 

Just like he has plenty of times in the past, Kelce led all Chiefs pass-catching weapons in targets, receptions and yards. If it wasn't for rookie Rashee Rice's third-quarter touchdown catch, he'd also have notched the solo lead in that category as well. Even with a limited snap count (and limited mobility), the eight-time Pro Bowler worked in conjunction with Mahomes to build a lead that wouldn't go on to be forfeited. 

Kelce now faces a difficult road ahead with a Thursday Night Football matchup against the Denver Broncos quickly approaching, but he's defied the injury odds several times in the past. Cornerback L'Jarius Sneed, also impressed by Kelce's ability to persevere, gave him the compliment to end all compliments to cap off the evening.

"A dog," Sneed said when describing Kelce. "A dog. He's out there on one leg, man."

Read More: Four Takeaways From the KC Chiefs' 27-20 Win Over the Minnesota Vikings