KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Travis Kelce has eight catches for 69 yards through the Kansas City Chiefs’ first three games of the season. Eight for 69 yards — it’s absurd by the future Hall of Fame tight end’s lofty standards.
For some perspective, Kelce’s had 42 career games, including the postseason, with at least eight catches. That's nearly one-quarter of every game he's played.
Even more ludicrous, he’s had at least 69 receiving yards in 80 of the 161 regular-season games and 17 of 22 career postseason games he’s played during a 12-year NFL career. So, what gives?
“The respect factor they have for Travis is unreal — and it’s deserved,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said when asked about the struggles getting Kelce involved in the offsense this season. “We’re calling a lot of plays for Travis and it’s like two or three people are going to him.”
Kansas City force fed Kelce the ball on the opening drive of the second half Sunday in a 22-17 win at the Atlanta Falcons, accounting for two of his four catches and 26 of his 30 receiving yards, but Mahomes wasn’t able to get him involved much before or after.
If there’s any good news, it’s that Rashee Rice seems to have picked up Kelce’s knack for finding space against zone coverage and developed a rapport with Mahomes, making him a dangerous weapon in the slot.
“They played a lot of zone,” Rice said of the Falcons. “They gave us a lot of different looks, but they were still zone. Basically, meaning, if I got to the other side of the field — as long as I found space in the field — Pat would find me.”
Mahomes definitely did, connecting with Rice on 12 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown — a formula the Chiefs seem likely to continue to rely on this season.
“I’m sure defenses are going to start adjusting to try to put some more coverage towards him,” Mahomes said of Rice. “That’s when Travis will make plays and that’s when (rookie Xavier) Worthy will make plays or JuJu (Smith-Schuster) or whoever that is. He’s a legit No. 1 receiver; you see that every week. He’s making more and more plays.”
He also may be the key to unlocking Kelce — or at least one of them.
“The more Rashee makes plays, the more we can run the ball, the more we can get Worthy involved, I think that’s going to open Travis up more,” Mahomes said. “People are really emphasizing taking him away and that’s getting other guys open.”
If defenses shift their focus to Rice, he’ll be the one doing the often unseen work to let teammates put up big numbers.
“He’s pushing himself,” Mahomes said. “There’s always still little things you want to continue to work on, but he’s a guy that’s going to make plays happen ... and I think he’s got another level he can unlock”
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