- Travis Kelce missed 1,000 yards for the Chiefs this weekend
- After being limited in practices during the week, the tight end missed Sunday's game
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Travis Kelce opted not to play for the Chiefs in the final game of the regular season against the Chargers despite being just 16 yards shy of a record eighth straight 1,000-yard season.
The tight end was limited from Chiefs practice with a neck injury in the days leading up to the Los Angeles game, but was tipped by many to play and add to his record.
But after Sunday's win – the Chiefs posted a 13-12 victory – coach Andy Reid said Kelce had ruled himself out of the game to stay as fresh as possible for the playoffs.
“Travis is a humble, unassuming guy. He didn't want to be selfish or appear selfish,” Reid explained.
“The players wanted him to play, but he says, 'You know what, I don't like the way it feels.' He doesn't like that, he has chosen not to play. I understand completely.
Travis Kelce chose to rest rather than play for the Chiefs vs. Chargers on Sunday afternoon
Chiefs coach Andy Reid praised Kelce for choosing to rest this weekend from the playoffs
Kelce was touch-and-go to play for the Chiefs after being limited in practice by a neck problem
'But that's him. Most guys would have done it, but he said, “I have a lot of records, I'm not going to do it this way.”
The Chiefs, last season's Super Bowl winners, will play the Miami Dolphins at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday night when the playoffs begin.
The Chiefs defeated the Dolphins in a regular-season game in Germany in November, sealing the victory by a score of 21-14, but since then the team has struggled at times, losing five of its next eight.
Kelce, 34, said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal earlier this season that the pain of injuries in the NFL is something he has never talked about too openly.
He missed the first game of the season, a surprising loss for the Chiefs against the Detroit Lions, with a knee problem, but returned and played every game until the Chargers.
'That's the one thing I've never really been open about: the discomfort. The pain,” Kelce said. “The lingering injuries – the ten surgeries I had, which to this day I still feel with every surgery.”