KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Travis Kelce added a few lines for his plaque in Canton, Ohio, one day during Sunday’s 27-24 overtime loss against Cincinnati in the AFC Championship Game.
Kelce, who is arguably the greatest tight end in NFL history, moved into third place in postseason receptions and touchdowns against the Bengals.
With 10 catches for 95 yards and a touchdown, Kelce now has 106 catches for 1,291 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns — all top-five marks all-time in NFL history — in 15 career playoff games.
“He’s just a competitor,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “Obviously, he’s super talented and everybody knows that. The routes he runs, how big and athletic he is, but he’s just a guy you want to go to battle with. He’s going to fight to the end.”
Only Jerry Rice (151) and Julian Edelman (118) have more receptions, giving Kelce the most by a tight end in NFL history, while Rice (22) and Rob Gronkowski (15) have more touchdowns.
Kelce is tied with John Stallworth on the all-time list.
Kelce’s 1,291 yards rank fifth behind Rice (2,245), Edelman (1,442), Gronkowski (1,389) and Michael Irvin (1,315).
Kelce reached his lofty heights in fewer games than any of those ahead of him on the list, sometimes by a significant margin.
Rice played in 29 postseason games with San Francisco and Oakland, Edelman played in 19 with New England, Gronkowski has played in 22 games for the Patriots and Tampa Bay, and Irvin made 16 playoff appearances with Dallas.
Kelce’s six 1,000-yard seasons are an NFL record among tight ends for the regular season. His six in a row are double the next best tight end in league history.
He had 92 catches for 1,125 yards and nine receptions during the 2021 season for the Chiefs.
