The Chiefs are rolling -- and they might get one of their best playmakers back in time for Week 6.
Tight end Travis Kelce has advanced to the next stage of the league's concussion protocol and officially was a full participate at practice Thursday. Kelce suffered a concussion in Kansas City's Week 5 win over Houston.
Kelce is a major part of Kansas City's trio of weapons of him, receiver Tyreek Hill and rookie sensation Kareem Hunt. The tight end's size and athleticism puts him squarely in the conversation for the NFL's best tight end, and also makes him one of the league's most dangerous targets. The Chiefs' offense is substantially better with Kelce than without, but if he's forced out in Week 6, Alex Smith will have Demetrius Harris and Ross Travis in Kelce's place.
The Chiefs host the Pittsburgh Steelers in a rematch of last season's frigid, field-goal-filled AFC Divisional Round contest.
Other injury news we're tracking on this Week 6 Thursday:
- Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly suffered a concussion during the second quarter of Thursday's game against the Eagles. Running back Fozzy Whittaker also left early when he was carted to the locker room with an ankle injury in the first quarter. He was shown on camera during the second half wearing a protective boot on his right foot while on crutches on the sideline.
- Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jordan Hicks suffered an ankle injury against the Panthers and didn't return to the game. Safety Chris Maragos left in the fourth quarter after suffering a knee injury.
- Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (shoulder) and tight end Rob Gronkowski (thigh) were upgraded from Wednesday non-participants to limited participants on Thursday, according to the team's injury report.
- Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert will undergo season-ending back surgery, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported. The Bengals placed Eifert on injured reserve on Thursday, the team announced.
- Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford (knee), receiver Stefon Diggs (groin), safety Andrew Sendejo (shoulder) and guard Nick Easton (calf) did not practice on Thursday, per Courtney Cronin of ESPN.
- Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (shoulder) will practice Thursday and Saturday, per Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star, and offered a little context on how he's feeling:
- Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long (ankle) did not practice Thursday, per Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic Chicago. Linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski (chest), receiver Markus Wheaton and corner Marcus Cooper (back) were all limited.
- Giants linebacker Jonathan Casillas (neck), safety Landon Collins (ankle), running back Paul Perkins (ribs), center Weston Richburg (concussion), wide receiver Sterling Shepard (ankle) and defensive end Olivier Vernon (ankle)did not participate on Thursday. Defensive end Romeo Okwara was limited.
- Jets running back Matt Forte (turf toe) and defensive end Kony Ealy (shoulder) were limited in practice Thursday, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
- Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah and guard T.J. Lang returned to practice Thursday, per the team's official site, leaving linebacker Paul Worrilow (knee) as the only non-participant.
