Estimated KC Chiefs Injury Report Sheds Light on Travis Kelce Ankle Sprain

Kansas City's first injury report of the week provides a bit of context to Kelce's ankle ailment from Sunday afternoon's game.

The Kansas City Chiefs are working on a short week, as a Thursday Night Football matchup against the Denver Broncos is quickly approaching. The team didn't practice on Monday afternoon, but it did manage to drum up an injury report anyway to kick things off.

Released a few hours after coordinators spoke to the media on Monday, Kansas City's team-issued injury report is estimated in nature. It's the Chiefs' educated guess on who would've participated in that afternoon's practice, along with approximate practice statuses for each player listed. Tight end Travis Kelce, dealing with an apparent low-ankle sprain, was the only player carrying a "did not practice" estimation. Here's the full breakdown:

• DID NOT PRACTICE: Kelce
• LIMITED PARTICIPANT: Nick Bolton (ankle), Matt Dickerson (knee), George Karlaftis (hamstring)
• FULL PARTICIPANT: Mike Danna (rib), Trent McDuffie (quad), L'Jarius Sneed (knee), Kadarius Toney (toe), Drue Tranquill (knee) 

How much stock should be put into an estimated injury report?

Because the Chiefs didn't practice to start the week, the estimated report should likely be taken with a grain of salt. With that said, it is notable that Kelce didn't join Bolton, Dickerson and Karlaftis among the "limited" participants in a would-be practice. Bolton is a prime example of someone who's been dealing with a sprained ankle, however, and he missed two consecutive games without practicing before returning as a limited participant last week. The team held him out of Sunday's game despite his return to practice, although his situation isn't directly comparable to Kelce's.

Kelce, the Chiefs' best pass-catching threat on offense, suffered the non-contact ankle injury late in the first half of Week 5 in Minnesota. After getting an X-ray at halftime and doing some sideline drills early in the third quarter, the All-Pro tight end returned to the lineup and played a critical role in Kansas City winning the game. James Palmer of NFL Network reported during the contest that the injury wasn't "cause of concern" for the team, and Nate Taylor of The Athletic reported in a Sunday night story that the 34-year-old plans to play this Thursday even with the aforementioned short recovery timeline working against him: 

Kelce was one of the final Chiefs to leave the locker room for the team bus. Limping slightly, he spent several minutes in the training room. Before that, though, Kelce told The Athletic that he intends to be with his teammates on the field Thursday night when the Chiefs host the Denver Broncos in the team’s shortest turnaround between games this season.

“I know what I have to do,” Kelce said. “I have to accept the challenge, baby!”

Kelce's 'DNP' designation for Monday notwithstanding, it's too early to tell whether he'll start or sit against the Broncos on Thursday night. It's safe to assume that he'll give it his best shot to be active against a bitter division rival, but Kansas City has already exercised caution with an injury of his once this year (Week 1). The next couple of days will bring more clarity to the situation for him, as well as those who were estimated to be limited on Monday. At its core, this report lays a foundation for things to be pieced together moving forward. 

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