The Kansas City Chiefs will attempt to reach the Super Bowl for the third time in the last four years when they host the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.
This contest could be a very entertaining matchup, but unfortunately for Kansas City, it will not be at full strength.
Superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been dealing with a sprained ankle that he suffered in last week’s divisional round victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, and to make matters worse, tight end Travis Kelce now has a back ailment.
According to Jim Nantz, one of CBS Sports’ main play-by-play men for its coverage of the NFL, Kelce suffered the injury during practice on Friday.
On CBS golf coverage, Jim Nantz said Travis Kelce tweaked his back at the very end of practice today. https://t.co/tdglP1h8yK
— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) January 28, 2023
With wide receiver Tyreek Hill now in Miami, Kelce became the Chiefs’ top weapon this season, and he responded by putting up 1,338 yards and a career-high 12 touchdowns, which earned him his eighth straight Pro Bowl selection and his fourth All-Pro first-team nod.
Kelce will need to be at or near his best against a Bengals team that can put up points in bunches.
This will be a rematch of last year’s AFC title game, a game in which Kelce had 10 catches for 95 yards and a touchdown.
However, that contest was a heartbreaker for his squad.
They got out to a 21-3 first-half lead, only to allow the Bengals to fight back and force overtime, where Mahomes threw an interception, allowing Cincinnati kicker Evan McPherson to convert the winning field goal.
When the two teams played each other in Week 13 this season, Kelce was held to just 56 yards on four receptions.
