Kansas City Chiefs backup QB Blaine Gabbert is set to start his 49th career NFL game in Week 18. The tilt against the Los Angeles Chargers will mark his first career start in Kansas City, providing Patrick Mahomes with some valuable rest ahead of the playoff run.
A big question heading into Week 18 is whether TE Travis Kelce will play and get a chance to reach 1,000 receiving yards for the eighth consecutive season. He needs just 16 yards to reach that milestone, where he'd become just the seventh player at any position to record eight consecutive seasons of 1,000 or more receiving yards.
Kelce was limited in practice on Wednesday with a neck injury and Andy Reid was non-committal on whether or not the star would play.
Gabbert weighed in on the situation, providing some expert insight into how things might go down with Kelce in Week 18.
"The best part of the culture that we have here is that there are a lot of selfless individuals," Gabbert said. "I know you're getting at Trav. He's 16 yards away from 1,000. We all know that, but you know, that's not how Trav plays. He wants team success first, and he's always been that way. He genuinely loves football and if he wants to play, he'll play. If Coach Reid decides to have him rest, he'll rest."
Gabbert and Kelce both don't have any control over what Big Red will decide. However, should Kelce suit up with his teammates on Sunday, Gabbert and the rest of the gang aim to help him achieve the milestone.
"Ultimately, that's on Coach Reid," Gabbert explained. "But if we're out there, we're going to do our damn best to get him 17 yards."
More must-reads: