The Kansas City Chiefs take on the Detroit Lions on Aug. 17, and it’ll be the first time the Chiefs take the field at Arrowhead Stadium for the 2024 preseason.
While Chiefs fans are ultimately clamoring for a three-peat, there is curiosity about whether star TE Travis Kelce spends more time on the field this week than in Kansas City’s first preseason matchup.
Will Kelce play in the showdown against the Lions on Saturday?
Is Travis Kelce Taking Snaps in Preseason Week 2 vs. the Lions?
The star duo, Patrick Mahomes and Kelce, played in the first matchup, but only briefly. Mahomes only threw four passes, and Kelce caught one ball against the Jaguars.
Even though it makes total sense for head coach Andy Reid to let his star players rest completely and prepare for the regular season, he will be letting both of them take a few reps to ease them into the season.
After training camp session yesterday, Reid spoke about letting his starters spend at least the first two quarters on the field and then be replaced by the younger talent on the roster.
Despite their loss in the season opener against the Jaguars, Reid expressed contentment with the players’ growth from last season. He also appreciated the players’ attitude and eagerness to sharpen their abilities, as they still had a couple of weeks before Week 1.
The last time the Lions faced the Chiefs, it ended in a close 21-20 upset as the Lions took the victory home in Week 1 of the 2023 season.
However, both Kelce and Chris Jones didn’t play in that game (Jones was settling his contract dispute). No doubt their collective absence was a difference in the outcome, but the Lions went into a hostile environment and earned the W.
While the star players will get on the field on Saturday, fans and the organization will be hoping that they make it out of the game without any injuries.
We have knocked on every wooden surface to do everything in our part to get players out of the game healthy and ready for the regular season.
Chiefs fans are in store for several weeks of action, as they have two consecutive preseason matchups at Arrowhead, followed by back-to-back games in friendly confines in the first two weeks of the regular season.
Week 1 is the overall 2024 NFL season opener, with a juicy matchup between the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship Game. The Bengals will travel to Arrowhead (or “Burrowhead,” depending on who you ask) the following week.
