Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs announced that tight end Travis Kelce will miss Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported that the All-Pro would remain on the reserve/COVID-19 list, as he did not clear protocols in time to play Sunday.

Kelce has been durable throughout his career, appearing in at least 15 games in each of the previous seven seasons entering the 2021 campaign.

He is arguably the best tight end in the league and has 83 catches for 1,066 yards and seven touchdowns this season, which marks his sixth consecutive year with more than 1,000 receiving yards.

He is a matchup nightmare for linebackers and safeties because of his combination of athleticism and physicality. While the Chiefs still have Tyreek Hill as a game-changing playmaker, they don't have another tight end who can replicate Kelce's impact.

Look for Blake Bell to fill in at tight end with the starter sidelined.        

Kansas City Chiefs wideout Tyreek Hill has reportedly been removed from the NFL's reserve/COVID-19 list, per the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, clearing him to play Sunday versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

As for tight end Travis Kelce, the Chiefs are "likely to activate" him Saturday, per Rapoport, "but he has not cleared, source said. This is in case he clears the protocols on Sunday."

While being without Kelce would be hardly ideal, having Hill available is a huge boost for a 10-4 Chiefs team trying to lock down the top overall seed in the AFC playoffs and an AFC West crown. The Chiefs seem like a pretty safe bet to earn a seventh straight postseason berth regardless. 

They've certainly come a long way from a 3-4 start, winning seven straight.

Hill, 27, is a big reason for the turnaround. He's having yet another excellent season, posting 102 catches for 1,178 yards and nine touchdowns. It's his first season with 100 or more receptions, his fourth season going over 1,100 receiving yards and his fifth straight season with seven or more touchdown receptions. 

No surprise, then, that he's a six-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro selection and a one-time champion. Accounting for his speed, ability to stretch defenses both vertically and horizontally and his ankle-breaking ability after the catch continues to be a nightmare for opposing defenses. 

The 7-6-1 Steelers will be the latest team to try as they attempt to keep their faint playoff hopes alive. 

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce reportedly continue to face an uncertain status for Sunday's Week 16 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Both players were placed on the NFL's reserve/COVID-19 list this week—Kelce on Monday and Hill on Tuesday.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler provided an update on their availability Friday on SportsCenter:

Both are still in the COVID protocol. I'm told that the team is hopeful that they can get them back, but it is a bit of a coin flip. They're just waiting on hopefully positive results in the next few days to get them out of there. Josh Gordon, guys on the supporting cast, could see an elevated role against the Steelers if not.

Kelce has been one of the most durable tight ends in the NFL through his nine-year career. He missed all but one game during his 2013 rookie season after undergoing a knee procedure, but the Cincinnati product has appeared in at least 14 games in every season since.

Hill has also been durable, missing only six games across six seasons in K.C. He's played in all 14 games so far in 2021.

Kelce has been a staple in the Kansas City offense throughout his career, and he set an NFL record for receiving yards by a tight end with 1,416 yards last season. The 2020 campaign was also his fifth straight season with at least 1,000 receiving yards. 

Losing Kelce for any period of time isn't ideal for the Chiefs. He ranks second on the team with 83 catches for 1,066 yards and seven touchdowns in 14 games. Only Hill (102 receptions, 1,178 yards and nine scores) has been more productive than the three-time All-Pro. 

Beyond Kelce and Hill, the Chiefs' top receivers are Mecole Hardman, Byron Pringle and running back Darrel Williams. They have combined for 113 catches for 1,281 yards and six touchdowns this season. 

Kansas City signed Gordon in early October, though it's unclear how impactful he can be at this stage in his career. He has four catches for 27 yards and a touchdown in nine games this season. 

The Chiefs are 10-4 this season, which is the best record in the AFC. They'll need Kelce and Hill healthy for another deep run in the postseason.

While speaking with reporters ahead of Sunday's matchup against Kansas City, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin discussed his decision to trade defensive end Melvin Ingram to the Chiefs in November.    

We didn't weigh their circumstances," Tomlin said. "We weighed our circumstances. Not only the tangible element of our circumstances, but the intangible quality that makes us a team. When we moved him, we had an opportunity to get value for him and so that was entertaining and interesting to us.

But also, to be quite honest with you and blunt, Melvin no longer wanted to be here. And for us, we prefer volunteers as opposed to hostages. And we believe that's a formula that allows us to come together in ways that you can't measure. To do the things we were able to do last week, to smile collectively in the face of adversity and do what's required to get out of the stadium with necessary wins. That's more of a function of us and the things that we value and less about Kansas City, the things that they needed or the prospects of playing them later in the season.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Aditi Kinkhabwala reported in October that Ingram wanted out of Pittsburgh due to a decrease in playing time. Ingram averaged 83.3 percent of the Steelers' defensive snaps through the first three weeks of the season before seeing a decrease to 45 percent from Weeks 4-6. 

T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith get the majority of Pittsburgh's defensive end snaps. Tomlin previously told reporters that Ingram's snap count was tied to the health of the players above him on the depth chart. 

"Reps change based on player availability," Tomlin said earlier in the season, as transcribed by Steelers Depot. "T.J. has missed some time. Alex Highsmith has missed some time. ... Both of those guys are back from injury. And so when you have everybody available, there's going to be less snaps. It's just football." 

The Chiefs acquired Ingram for added depth behind Chris Jones and Mike Danna. However, he hasn't had much of an impact in Kansas City yet, recording just one sack, 10 tackles, one tackle for loss and three quarterback hits in six games. He's averaging 57 percent of the Chiefs' defensive snaps. 

Ingram is on his third team in less than two seasons. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Los Angeles Chargers, where he was a three-time Pro Bowler. 

Sunday's game is massive for the Steelers, as they are a half game back of the final wild-card spot and the AFC North division lead. It's also a big game for the Chiefs, who could be without several players due to a COVID-19 outbreak.  

The Kansas City Chiefs have placed wide receiver Tyreek Hill, cornerback Rashad Fenton and tight end Blake Bell on the reserve/COVID-19 list, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

Schefter added that other players are expected to be placed on the list, and one source called the situation "a mess." The news comes one day after tight end Travis Kelce, kicker Harrison Butker and cornerback Charvarius Ward were placed on the list.

According to The Athletic's Nate Taylor, the Chiefs could have 10 or more players on the reserve/COVID-19 list before the end of the day Tuesday. 

It's unclear if any of the six players mentioned will be available for Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Any player who is vaccinated could test out of the NFL's protocols with two negative tests 24 hours apart. However, if both Kelce and Hill are ruled out, the Chiefs' passing attack will have to face the consequences.

Hill leads the team with 102 catches for 1,178 yards and nine touchdowns, while Kelce is second with 83 catches for 1,066 yards and seven scores. Both players have appeared in each of Kansas City's 14 games this season. 

Mecole Hardman, Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson are in line to be Kansas City's top receivers against Pittsburgh. The trio has combined for 1,105 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games.

The Chiefs signed Josh Gordon after Week 13, though it's unclear how impactful he can be at this stage in his career. He has four catches for 27 yards and a touchdown in nine games this season. 

Considering the NFL has already pushed back multiple games this season because of virus outbreaks, Sunday's contest could end up being moved to a later date. However, that largely depends on how bad the Chiefs' COVID-19 situation gets. 

The Chiefs are 10-4 this season, first in the AFC West. Following Sunday's game against the Steelers, they'll finish the regular season against the Cincinnati Bengals (8-6) and Denver Broncos (7-7).  

Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce is being placed on the NFL's reserve/COVID-19 list, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday.

Schefter noted that Kelce "is vaccinated so there's a chance he's back for Sunday with the new return-to-play protocols."

The Chiefs face the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend.

While Patrick Mahomes rightly receives most of the attention in Kansas City, Kelce is an essential part of what makes the offense such an unstoppable force. He recorded back-to-back 100-yard receiving games in Weeks 2 and 3.

The three-time All-Pro set an NFL record for receiving yards by a tight end with 1,416 yards in 2020. It marked his fifth consecutive season passing the 1,000-yard barrier. He also set a Chiefs franchise record with 105 receptions last season.

Losing Kelce would leave a significant void in the Chiefs passing game, especially as the offense has struggled to find a rhythm.

Mahomes would still have Tyreek Hill on the outside, but there wouldn't be a proven second option behind him. Mecole Hardman has tremendous speed, though his production fell off from 20.7 yards per catch as a rookie in 2019 to 13.7 last season to 10.8 so far in 2021.

The Chiefs signed Josh Gordon after a Week 3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers to boost their receiver depth. However, it's unclear how much the 30-year-old still has left in the tank at this point. He has four catches for 27 yards and a score in nine games.

Veteran Blake Bell will serve as Kansas City's primary tight end if Kelce is ruled out for Sunday. The 30-year-old returned to the Chiefs this offseason after spending 2020 with the Dallas Cowboys. He has only 41 yards on five receptions in 13 games this season.

The Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs are now co-favorites to win Super Bowl LVI with three weeks left in the 2021 NFL regular season.

DraftKings Sportsbook provided the updated odds Monday after Aaron Rodgers' Packers beat the Baltimore Ravens and Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs knocked off the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15:

Their status as the teams to beat doesn't come as a surprise. Green Bay (11-3) sits atop the NFC standings, while Kansas City (10-4) leads the AFC. Earning the top seeds and the only bye in each conference would be a major boost to their title chances.

The Packers are riding a three-game winning streak in which Rodgers and the offense have racked up an eye-popping 112 points, but the defense will likely need to up its game if the team is going to go the distance.

Green Bay is averaging 30.5 points allowed over its past four games since a shutout win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 10. If not for the nearly flawless play of the offense, the Packers could be sitting in a much different position right now.

That said, the defense displayed better form earlier in the season, highlighted by three road games against tough opponents—the Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals—in which the unit only gave up 18.7 points per game. That's what the team will be looking for come playoff time.

Sunday's 31-30 win over the Ravens clinched the NFC North division title for Green Bay. Rodgers discussed the feat afterward:

You have to savor these a little bit. These are special. It's just the first step in our goals, but a lot of times the coach speak—I'm not saying that Matt [LaFleur] did this—but a lot of times there might be coach speak that takes over and says, 'Hey, you know this is just one goal and we have bigger goals and stuff,' but I think it's important to keep that perspective on how special accomplishing this is three years in a row and so just to enjoy it, to savor it, savor these moments. These are special moments.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs dealt with an endless stream of "what's wrong?" questions during a lackluster 3-4 start to the campaign.

The reality is there was never serious cause for concern because all four losses came against strong opponents—the Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans. Mahomes and Co. haven't suffered a bad loss all season.

They've predictably caught fire and scored some impressive victories during a current seven-game winning streak, including triumphs over the Packers, Chargers and Dallas Cowboys.

"We got heart, that's the biggest thing," Mahomes said on NFL Network after Thursday's 34-28 overtime win over the Bolts. "It hasn't been pretty the entire season, but guys stepped up and showed that championship swagger we had a couple years back. Now, we just have to keep this momentum going. We're trying to get to the playoffs and make something happen."

The NFL has held a wide-open feel throughout most of the season as no team has been able to pull away from the field, which has created crowded playoff races in both conferences. It should make for a highly entertaining finish to the regular season and postseason.

Yet, it wouldn't be surprising if the favorites from Green Bay and Kansas City are the last teams standing in February.

They're the Jordan-Pippen-Rodman of the NFL, or at least the LeBron-Wade-Bosh for a more contemporary comparison. In strictly football terms, they're the Aikman-Smith-Irvin of modern times. Their names are Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, and much to the relief of the Kansas City Chiefs and their fans, they appeared to finally turn a corner Thursday night. 

It wasn't supposed to take this long. Nobody expected Kansas City's triplets to struggle as much as they have with a lack of consistency and reliability this year.

Entering Week 15, Mahomes was merely the league's 17th-highest-rated passer, thanks in part to a tied-for-career-worst 12 interceptions. Kelce was on track to put together his worst season on paper since the Mahomes era started in K.C., and he and Hill had dropped a combined 17 passes (compared to just 18 in the previous two seasons combined). 

Better late than never. 

In a critical 34-28 overtime victory over the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers, Mahomes completed 31 of 47 passes for 410 yards and three touchdowns. Kelce and Hill caught a combined 22 of those for 339 yards and all three scores. 

It truly was a three-man show. On short rest. On the road. In prime time. And with the AFC West lead on the line. 

The Chiefs have now won seven consecutive games to take relatively firm control of that highly competitive division, but this victory might wind up standing out as the ultimate turning point for a team that didn't look right in September, October or November. 

And it starts with that trio.

Mahomes completed 85 percent of the passes on which he targeted either Kelce or Hill, while no other player on the Chiefs offense compiled even 25 receiving yards. 

You know what's wild? As NFL Network's Rich Eisen rightly pointed out, that was still "widely considered an off-night" for the highest-rated passer in league history. He turned the ball over twice and was "only" 4-of-9 on deep passing attempts.

But he's the guy you worry the least about. Because he's good enough to dominate on off-nights, because he's remained more consistently effective than his top two targets this season and because he's a former MVP who has earned many benefits of doubt. He also recently lit up the Las Vegas Raiders twice in a four-game span, while Kelce hadn't recorded 70-plus yards and a touchdown in a single game since Week 2, and Hill had been held below the 100-yard mark in nine consecutive outings. 

Maybe this is all it'll take. Maybe, a Chargers defense that has some talent but ranked 20th in DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average at Football Outsiders) through 14 weeks woke a pair of sleeping giants Thursday night. 

If so, the rest of the AFC could very well be screwed. 

The Chiefs had already figured it out on defense. That unit was an embarrassment in September but has surrendered just 13.3 points per game during the seven-game winning streak. Thursday's defensive performance wasn't epic, but they did make several key fourth-down stops and did record a pair of takeaways. 

Put it all together, and the Chiefs are good again. Just as they move into the top spot in the AFC (at least until the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans play this weekend), it's becoming obvious they'll be the team to beat in that conference in January. 

Nobody from the AFC has slayed that dragon the last two postseasons, and if that three-headed monster is even half as awesome as it was under difficult circumstances Thursday night, nobody is likely to do it this time around, either. 

The inevitable was delayed for longer than most would have expected. That's over with. The Chiefs are officially back, with their Big Three leading the way.

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012. Follow him on Twitter: @Brad_Gagnon.

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 34-28 in overtime on Thursday night to move to 10-4 on the season, which is the best record in the AFC. 

After the game, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes spoke with Kristina Pink of Fox Sports and praised his squad's "championship swagger." 

The Chiefs trailed 14-13 through three quarters before going on to score 15 points in the fourth quarter, punctuated by a game-tying touchdown toss to Travis Kelce. 

Thursday's game was one of Kansas City's best offensively. Mahomes completed 31 of 47 passes for 410 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. In addition, Kelce caught 10 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns, while Tyreek Hill caught 12 passes for 148 yards and a score. 

Kansas City's defense was also solid, forcing two turnovers and limiting the Chargers to 428 yards of total offense without Chris Jones, L'Jarius Sneed and Willie Gay Jr. 

Thursday's win marked the Chiefs' seventh straight victory. They'll face the Pittsburgh Steelers at Arrowhead Stadium on Dec. 26 next.