Travis Kelce 'Expected to play today, aiming for eighth straight season of 1,000+ yards' in season finale… but Chiefs officially rule out quarterback Patrick Mahomes

Travis Kelce plays Sunday against the Chargers, where he will be chasing another record: an eighth straight season of over 1,000 yards passing through 17 games, even though the Kansas City Chiefs have ruled out quarterback Patrick Mahomes for their regular-season finale in Los Angeles. Angeles.

The team's update came about three hours before this weekend's game at SoFi Stadium, with Chiefs head coach Andy Reid deciding to rest his starting signal-caller as it was the official reason for the two-time Super Bowl's omission champion.

Kelce needs just 16 receiving yards against the Chargers to extend his club record and NFL record for a tight end with his eighth consecutive 1,000-yard season. If he gets there on Sunday, it's more likely to be thanks to a pass from Chiefs backup QB Blaine Gabbert than anyone else. Gabbert will start in the NFL for the first time since 2018, when he played for the Tennessee Titans.

It will also be the veteran's 49th career start. Gabbert, who has played for six teams in 12 seasons, said he doesn't expect many changes running the offense.

“We run coach (Andy) Reid's offense, and ultimately that's what we're going to do. Every quarterback is different, every quarterback does things differently, some things better than others, and so on and so forth,” Gabbert said. 'We're just going to run our attack. Hopefully we throw to the open man, run the ball well and score some points.”

Chiefs starting tight end Travis Kelce will play as he chases a new individual league record

Along with Mahomes, the Chiefs could rest several other key players on Sunday, potentially costing them some key milestones.

Besides Kelce, wide receiver Rashee Rice needs 58 yards to break Dwayne Bowe's rookie record. And defensive tackle Chris Jones needs half a sack to receive a $1.25 million bonus for reaching 10 on the season.

Reid won't sit all of his starters, and he knows there are some meaningful numbers on the line.

Kelce and Mahomes have won two Super Bowls and are undisputedly one of the best duos in the NFL

Veteran QB Blaine Gabbert (second from left) will earn his first NFL start since 2018 on Sunday

“It depends what the milestone is. We'll see how that all goes,” Reid said.

The Chargers (5-11) have dropped four in a row and seven of their last eight. They're stuck with a top-eight draft pick as they search for a new coach and general manager. Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco were fired on December 15.

In the midst of one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history, the Bolts are eager to end on a winning note for interim coach Giff Smith.

'The motivation to prepare for this competition is not a problem. You've seen the last two games, these guys have come out and played hard. We just have to find a way to get over the hump,” Smith said. 'As for personal matters, that is not relevant to me at the moment. I want to do the right thing for these guys and the organization and go out and beat Kansas City.”