{"id":44069,"date":"2025-11-26T13:19:53","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T13:19:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=44069"},"modified":"2025-11-26T13:19:53","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T13:19:53","slug":"chiefs-expected-to-sit-18-million-te-on-thanksgiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/?p=44069","title":{"rendered":"Chiefs Expected to Sit $18 Million TE on Thanksgiving"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\" class=\"has-video wp-caption \">\n<figure class=\"h-responsive\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 780 \/ 439;\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block; margin: 1em auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Noah-Gray-Concussion.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" alt=\"Noah Gray\" \/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"caption-credit\"> Getty <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"c-post-image-caption-text\">Travis Kelce is congratulated by Noah Gray<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The defending AFC champion <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"Kansas City Chiefs\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/kansas-city-chiefs\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"115224\">Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> have a golden opportunity to turn their flagging season around within a five-day span. They took the first step on Sunday with a dramatic, comeback victory over the AFC South-leading <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"Indianapolis Colts\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/indianapolis-colts\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"115225\">Indianapolis Colts<\/a> at Arrowhead Stadium \u2014 a game in which the Chiefs never had a lead until Harrison Butker kicked a walk-off field goal with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/playbyplay\/_\/gameId\/401772779\">1:57 left on the clock in overtime<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Four days later, the Chiefs take on the 5-5 <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"Dallas Cowboys\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/dallas-cowboys\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"115227\">Dallas Cowboys<\/a> in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/game\/_\/gameId\/401772694\/chiefs-cowboys\">Thanksgiving Day game at AT&amp;T Stadium<\/a> in Arlington, Texas. Another victory would raise the Chiefs to 7-5, vaulting them to the No. 8 spot in the AFC, just a half-game behind the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"Buffalo Bills\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/buffalo-bills\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"115226\">Buffalo Bills<\/a> in the race for a playoff berth.<\/p>\n<p>But they will have to do it without a key player who made one of the most spectacular, game-saving plays of Sunday\u2019s win over Indianapolis. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/kansas-city-chiefs\/noah-gray-trey-smith-roland-wallace-injury-updates\/\">Chiefs coach Andy Reid<\/a>, as well as the team\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chiefs.com\/team\/injury-report\/week\/REG-13\">official injury report<\/a>, fifth-year tight end Noah Gray remains in concussion protocol and did not practice on Monday or Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-post\"><a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/kansas-city-chiefs\/nfl-punishment-laiatu-latu-patrick-mahomes\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block; margin: 1em auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Laiatu-Latu-Patrick-Mahomes-Punishment.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=242&amp;h=161&amp;crop=1\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-load=\"\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<p class=\"tag\">Read More From Heavy<\/p>\n<p class=\"title\">NFL Punishment Expected For Hit on Patrick Mahomes by Colts Star<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Gray Injured on Highlight-Reel Catch<\/h2>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/sicscore.com\/news\/how-has-the-nfl-concussion-return-to-play-protocol-altered-player-return-dynamics\">2023 study by <em>Sports Injury Central<\/em><\/a> found that just 22 percent, or about one in five, players who went into concussion protocol were able to return without missing a game. But the vast majority of those players had a full week to recover, not the four days that Gray will have.<\/p>\n<p>Gray\u2019s concussion occurred on a highlight-reel catch of a 5-yard pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes, on a second-and-8 play with 3:46 remaining in the fourth quarter and Kansas City trailing 20-17. The seemingly impossible catch helped keep the Chiefs\u2019 final drive alive, resulting in a game-tying field goal by Butker with no time left in regulation.<\/p>\n<p>But Gray paid a steep price, slamming his head on the ground as he came down with the ball and knocking himself unconscious.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"lazy-embed lazy-embed--ssr embed-tiktok-com\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@okiedadlife\/video\/7576029939141561630\">\n<blockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" style=\"max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@okiedadlife\/video\/7576029939141561630\" data-video-id=\"7576029939141561630\" data-embed-from=\"oembed\">\n<section><a title=\"@okiedadlife\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@okiedadlife?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\">@okiedadlife<\/a>Chiefs Noah Grey knocked out <a title=\"nfl\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/nfl?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\">#nfl<\/a> <a title=\"chiefs\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/chiefs?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\">#chiefs<\/a> <a title=\"injury\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/injury?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\">#injury<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"\u266c original sound - T_Campbell\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/music\/original-sound-7576035068301298462?refer=embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\">\u266c original sound \u2013 T_Campbell<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Gray Appears Unlikely to Play on Thanksgiving<\/h2>\n<p>Gray was <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/bjbowman13\/status\/1992700644520788390\">later seen on video walking back<\/a> to the Chiefs\u2019 locker room, under his own power but appearing unsteady and accompanied by trainers.<\/p>\n<p>While the severity of Gray\u2019s concussion has not been revealed by the team, and a brief \u2014 less than 30-minute \u2014 loss of consciousness alone <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/-\/media\/Project\/Websites\/mdhhs\/Folder1\/Folder88\/TBI_Recovery_Guide_1_page_summary_51308.pdf?rev=246144d7ea1246c89f8ac912bae63ecf\">does not indicate a longer<\/a> recovery time, it appears highly unlikely that the 2021 fifth-round draft pick out of Duke will be available for Thursday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n<p>Gray\u2019s recovery could be complicated by the fact that he was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/chiefs-noah-gray-managing-type-1-diabetes-as-he-lives-out-nfl-dream\">diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes<\/a> at age 18. Some studies have suggested that hyperglycemia \u2014 also known as high blood sugar, which occurs with diabetes \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC5342608\/\">can make the recovery process<\/a> from traumatic brain injuries such as sports-related concussions more difficult.<\/p>\n<p>Unless the Chiefs make specifics of Gray\u2019s symptoms public, however, the length of his absence cannot be determined for certain until it happens.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-post\"><a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/dallas-cowboys\/trevon-diggs-concussion-mansion\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block; margin: 1em auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Trevon-Diggs-Concussion-Home-Mystery.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=242&amp;h=161&amp;crop=1\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-load=\"\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<p class=\"tag\">Read More From Heavy<\/p>\n<p class=\"title\">Trevon Diggs Concussion Mystery Gets Weirder With Latest News<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Kelce Has High Praise for Gray<\/h2>\n<p>The Chiefs clearly think highly of Gray, signing him to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotrac.com\/nfl\/player\/_\/id\/72546\/noah-gray\">a three-year, $18 million<\/a> contract extension before the 2024 season. He has received effusive praise from his teammate and fellow tight end, future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce, as well.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe is the guy. The professionalism, when he walks in the building he\u2019s in it wholeheartedly,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/newheightshow\/status\/1862468655243567560?s=20\">Kelce said of Gray<\/a> on his <em>New Heights<\/em> podcast last year. \u201cAll of his focus is on one goal, and that\u2019s to make the team better. And he\u2019s been that guy since he\u2019s been in the locker room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gray has been targeted 28 times by Mahomes this season, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/G\/GrayNo00.htm\">with 16 catches for 132 yards<\/a>, though he has not caught a touchdown pass so far. In the 2024 season, he caught five TD passes.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-post\"><a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/kansas-city-chiefs\/kenyon-sadiq-travis-kelce\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto; display: block; margin: 1em auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Travos-Kelce-Kenyon-Sadiq-replacement.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=242&amp;h=161&amp;crop=1\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-load=\"\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<p class=\"tag\">Read More From Heavy<\/p>\n<p class=\"title\">Chiefs Predicted to Add 6-Foot-3, 245-Pound \u2018Complete Athlete\u2019 Replacing Kelce<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Getty Travis Kelce is congratulated by Noah Gray The defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs have a golden opportunity to turn their flagging season around within a five-day span. They &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":44070,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44069"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44069\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44071,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44069\/revisions\/44071"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usdailys.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}