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After tough season at the top, can Travis Kelce fire Kansas City Chiefs to three-peat glory?
It’s becoming almost as reliable a yearly occurrence as the Kansas City Chiefs playing in the Super Bowl – after another modest campaign by his own high standards, Travis Kelce has ramped up his production in the playoffs once again this year.
The 35-year-old tight end put in a conservative regular season statistically in 2024.
- Read more | ‘A new feeling’: Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce open up on Kansas City Chiefs’ three-peat quest
There was just one game in which he broke the 100 receiving yards barrier, an overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in November. And there were seven games in which he failed to rack up even 50 yards.
His miserly total of three touchdowns was the lowest of his career as a starter, dating back more than a decade, as was his total receiving yards of 823. That was down from last year’s already humble return of 984, which had broken a seven-season streak of 1,000-yard campaigns.
When it happened last season, there were questions over whether Kelce’s prime had passed and whether his days as an elite offensive weapon were over. And then the playoffs came and his average of 65.6 yards per game leapt up to 88.8 as he caught three touchdowns in as many games to lead Kansas City to yet another Super Bowl triumph.
So this time around, after he averaged a career-low 51.4 receiving yards per game – despite his average targets rising (6.06) and his catches (6.06) remaining pretty much stable – the consensus was that Kelce was again keeping his powder dry for the postseason.
(Getty Images)
It was a theory backed up by his performance against the Houston Texans in the divisional round, where he produced a season-high 117 yards and a touchdown off seven catches. It was vintage Kelce, the seven-time All-Pro tight end perfectly timing a return to peak form.
But while his display in the 23-14 victory over the Texans proved what Kelce is still capable of, the NFC Championship game against the Buffalo Bills a week later brought into question just how readily the veteran pass catcher can call upon his full powers.
Versus the Bills at Arrowhead Stadium, Kelce made only two catches from his four targets, mustering just 19 total yards – the lowest yardage return of his entire playoff career.
Fortunately for the Chiefs, they didn’t need the Kelce of lore that night. Others stepped up to help the back-to-back champions book a date with the Philadelphia Eagles at Super Bowl LIX and a shot at an unprecedented “three-peat”.
Rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy in particular had a stellar evening, logging 101 total yards and a touchdown to emerge as another reliable postseason tool at Patrick Mahomes’ disposal.
Courtney Culbreath/Getty Images
Quizzed about his future plans during his pre-Super Bowl media availability this week, Kelce batted away any thoughts of retirement.
“Where will I be in three years? I don’t know. Hopefully, still playing football,” he said. “I love doing this. I love coming into work every day. I feel like I’ve still got a lot of good football left in me.
“We’ll see what happens. I know I’ve been setting myself up for other opportunities in my life. That’s always been the goal, knowing that football only lasts so long. You’ve got to find a way to get into another career and another profession. I’ve been doing that in my offseasons.
“But for the most part I plan on being a Kansas City Chief and playing football.”
The likelihood is that, at this stage of his NFL career, Kelce is diminished. The same would be true of any athlete in their mid-30s with a similar number of miles on their odometer, who’s weathered so many high-leverage battles, racking up rings and scars in equal measure.
But only a fool would write off Kelce, especially in the playoffs. Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio – who’s overseen arguably the best defensive unit in the NFL this season – certainly won’t.
Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Although not yet in place in his current role at the time, Fangio was working as a consultant with Philadelphia when the two sides met in the Super Bowl in 2023 and Kelce produced a 100 per cent catch off six targets for 81 yards and a touchdown. Fangio will have studied the veteran tight end closely and planned meticulously to try and thwart him this time around.
He might have lost a step of speed and others might have eclipsed him in the pecking order of passing options Mahomes can call upon these days, but it’s still Kelce the quarterback looks for first on a third-and-5. He is not the athlete he once was, but he is still a master of exploiting zone defenses and eking out vital yards after the catch through wily – if lumbering – evasive movements.
On Sunday, when he is once again called upon to be the best version of himself with the Super Bowl on the line, we’ll find out whether Kelce can still respond.
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