travis kels There is and then there isn’t.
He’s the best tight end in the NFL, but he only puts on a performance like that once every few weeks. kansas city chiefs Star completes Sunday’s win las vegas raiders With 10 catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. It was his biggest game of the year (and his first touchdown). But it’s hard to say whether he’ll put up big numbers like this in Week 9 or whether he’ll take the field again.
With hot and cold starts, he is on pace for 92 catches, 813 yards and two touchdowns.
It’s not that the 35-year-old Kelce is a declining player. But it is not as if his output is a tap which he can turn on and off as per his wish. Because in that case, he will likely be producing when the games are the toughest. There is no real correlation between margin of victory and Kelce’s production. He had just one catch in the Chiefs’ one-point win Bengal in Week 2, but had nine catches for 70 yards in the team’s 13-point win saints In week 5.
Certainly, he has seen an increase in production since the receiver’s injury. Rashi Rice In week 4. Over the last four games (including the game when Rice suffered a knee injury), Kelce has averaged nine targets, 7.5 catches and 66.5 yards per game. He also averages 3.5 first downs per game.
That’s why I think it’s head coach Andy Reid — not Kelce — who is turning off the tap of tight end production.
Against the Raiders, Kelce was clearly the offensive focal point. You can see it in the game plan. This was the most designed play I’ve seen the Chiefs run to their tight end all year – the Saints matchup seemed like a close second.
Reed wanted to get the ball to Kelce – including the tight end’s first touchdown of the year. patrick mahomes That much said.
“Without giving away all our secrets, we knew the coverage that they were going to play, and we knew that guy was going to be there to get to Travis, and if he went there enough, we’d come back. will go backwards (deandre hopkins),” Mahomes said. “It was a good play call, and we executed it and got the touchdown.”
Mahomes had both Kelce and Hopkins open. But on his first read the window was right there: Kelsey.
It’s good to have options, especially for an offense that – at times – feels like no one can get open. And it’s weird, because it’s Kelce’s kind of thing. He is always open. It certainly felt like that in this game, as Kelce demolished the Raiders zone.
Vegas’ game plan wasn’t unique to the Chiefs. The Raiders were in the zone for 73.8% of snaps – On the season, the Chiefs have faced the zone on 72.4% of snaps. Perhaps Kelce’s importance increased because Reid is so familiar with coach Antonio Pierce’s scheme and playcalling. Reed clearly knows how to take advantage of that, and Kelce was a key cog.
While the presence of Hopkins, who was making his Chiefs debut, may have boosted Kelce’s production in this game, I believe that – in the long run – Hopkins will be able to shoulder the load as the team’s tight end. Are in Kansas City for.
“I missed (Hopkins) early on a corner route but still got open,” Mahomes said Sunday after the game. “And as I looked back at the tablet, there were some times where in man coverage he was really working and winning. Even the touchdown I threw to Trav, if you look at his Looking back, that’s also open to one. Landing there.”
Maybe the Chiefs needed Hopkins to get Kelce back in gear for a significant portion of the season. Mahomes, Reid and Kelce have complained about double teams. And if that happens, Hopkins will get some attention that way.
This would mean that Kelce is back. For good.
Nick Wright: DeAndre Hopkins is a ‘valuable addition’ for the Chiefs
But it’s also likely Kelce will go back to seeing lower goal shares to keep himself fresh for the playoffs. Or, at least, he can remain a game-plan player, having a short week followed by a big week. I believe this is the most likely outcome.
When I was chatting with Kelsey the topic of his production came up Patriot about the players Similarities between the New England and Kansas City dynastiesIncluding how both teams have made a habit of letting the preseason deteriorate into the first few weeks of the regular season. If that’s the mindset the Chiefs have, it’s not like they’re going to utilize Kelce heavily in the “preseason” phase of the regular season.
Former Patriots QB Brian Hoyer said, “I’ll just reference 2018 – nobody expected much from us. And then all of a sudden the playoffs started and we became a different team.” “I remember Gronk (Rob Gronkowski) was taking it to a different level. He wasn’t playing that well. And all of a sudden the playoffs started, and Gronk was back in his second year in the league.”
He was with the 2018 Patriots team Julian Edelman As its leading pass-catcher with 850 yards. Gronk had two games of over 100 yards – but still finished the regular season with only 682 yards. But in the postseason, the Patriots went on to win Super Bowl LIII. Los Angeles RamsThat was the last title of Gronk and tom brady Brought back to New England. This helped complete three Super Bowl wins and four Super Bowl appearances over a five-year period.
And that should sound familiar — because, of course, the Chiefs are trying to three-peat.
So perhaps Kelce and the Chiefs have something similar planned in their quest for a three-peat. And for that matter, his plans may extend beyond 2024, with Kelce saying retirement didn’t even cross his mind last season. He may be trying to save himself for a Super Bowl run, which may also help him save for the year after.
If that’s the case, the Chiefs will need to keep elevating Mahomes, who is on pace to deliver the worst statistical season of his career without regular involvement from Kelce.
“That’s what it takes from great football teams. It takes greatness from everybody. It can’t be one person. That’s what has made me so great for so long throughout my career. It’s all my It’s not all about Trav,” Mahomes said. “It’s about this whole team, and that’s what makes it so special.”
Before joining Fox Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter @henrycmckenna,
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