Is Travis Kelce playing today? Chiefs TE's status explored for AFC Divisional game vs Texans

On Saturday, the Kansas City Chiefs will commence their playoff campaign with a home game against the Houston Texans. The visitors are coming to Arrowhead Stadium full of confidence, following their shock 32-12 win over the Los Angeles Chargers last week in the wildcard round.

The Chiefs will be wary of the threat that Houston's defense poses. The vaunted unit completely stifled quarterback Justin Herbert and the Chargers' offense, limiting them to only 261 yards.

Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke will likely keep the pressure dialed up for all four quarters to ensure Patrick Mahomes doesn't have much time in the pocket to throw deep balls during the AFC Divisional game.

Short passes will likely be the quarterback's first read, making Travis Kelce the most important player on the receiving unit. The tight end, one of the best playoff performers in franchise history, will have to be in top form and fortunately, there's nothing holding him back.

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Travis Kelce injury update: Is TE playing today vs. the Texans?

The Chiefs have 11 players on their final injury report, including Patrick Mahomes and defensive tackle Chris Jones. However, Travis Kelce's name doesn't feature on the list, suggesting that the veteran tight end is fully healthy and isn't dealing with any ailments heading into the game against the Texans.

The 35-year-old and the rest of the Chiefs' starters haven't played since their Christmas Day win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have had plenty of time to recover from their injuries and while some are yet to heal completely, Kelce has a clean bill of health.

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Travis Kelce stats: How has TE played this season?

The 2024 season was the least productive campaign of Travis Kelce's Hall of Fame career bar his rookie season, where a knee injury in preseason limited him to only one snap. He finished with 823 receiving yards and three touchdowns, both career-low marks for the veteran tight end.

However, as underwhelming as he was in the regular season, the playoffs are Kelce's playground. He's fourth all-time in receiving touchdowns with 19, second in receiving yards with 1,903 and first in receptions with 165.

After a disappointing 2023 regular season by his lofty standards, he caught 32 passes in the Chiefs' run to the Super Bowl, setting a new career-high in a single playoff run. He also caught three touchdown passes after managing only five in the regular season. Kelce hasn't been his elite self in this campaign, but he usually brings his best in the postseason.