Travis Kelce's injury is uncharted territory for Patrick Mahomes

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Patrick Mahomes’ world as a starting quarterback without Travis Kelce consists of one game, a meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers late in the 2021 season when Kelce didn’t play because he was getting over a case of COVID-19.

Mahomes threw three touchdowns to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to a 36-10 win. But there’s not much Mahomes can apply from that game to his current situation. The Chiefs had Tyreek Hill then. Their leading receiver that day was Byron Pringle.

Neither of those players remain with the team. So Mahomes and the Chiefs are about to head into the unknown in Thursday’s game against the Detroit Lions at Arrowhead Stadium (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC). Kelce won’t play…