KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes is a former NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP.
Travis Kelce is arguably the best tight end in NFL history, including a record six straight 1,000-yard seasons — a streak twice as long as any other tight end in league history.
During Sunday’s season-opening 44-21 romp at Arizona, Mahomes was brilliant as usual, completing 30 of 39 passes for 360 yards with five touchdowns, while Kelce led the Chiefs with eight catches and 121 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown.
He has the third-most 100-yard games by a tight end in NFL history (30), trailing only Ron Gronkowski (32) and Tony Gonzalez (31).
Naturally, both have talked about feeling disrespected during an offseason spent doubting how Kansas City’s offense would adjust after Tyreek Hill was traded to Miami.
“I always feel like I have something to prove,” Mahomes said. “I mean, I'm just a guy from Texas Tech that they (some analysts) said they couldn't play in the NFL. So, I've always had that mindset of going out there and proving that we're the Kansas City Chiefs and that we still have a chance to go out there and win the AFC Championship and win the AFC West and win the Super Bowl.”
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Kelce said he’s driven to prove people wrong as well.
“Every single day,” Kelce said. “It doesn't matter whether it was my first day on the job or a day like today. I feel like I always have something to prove. I feel like I always have to take my game to the next level. It's just the mentality I’ve always had to just keep getting better at my craft, man.”
That feeling permeates the Chiefs, at least among the returning players, after they blew a 21-3 halftime lead in the AFC Championship Game against Cincinnati last January.
“Who wouldn't have something to prove after you know going out the way we did?” said running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who caught two touchdowns from Mahomes during the rout in the desert.
It’s probably a good mindset for the Chiefs to have with a short week to prepare for its home-opener, which arrives Thursday against the only other AFC West team to win its opener, the Los Angeles Chargers.
Kansas City doesn’t sound like a team planning to get over confident despite a dominant start to the season.
“The biggest thing was making sure those smiles didn't get too crazy,” Kelce said. “We’ve got a game on Thursday that we know is going to be one of the toughest opponents that we play all year and that we're gonna have to gear up and get fired up for a short week.”
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