Eight catches for 69 yards is a pretty typical game for Travis Kelce over the course of his stellar career. He’s had at least 69 yards in 80 regular-season games and another 17 times in the playoffs.
This season he has eight catches for 69 yards in three games.
Kelce has had a slow start to the season, and it’s impossible not to wonder if the age curve he’s gracefully dodged for so long has finally caught up to the Kansas City Chiefs star. No tight end under the age of 35 (Kelce turns 35 on Oct. 5) has ever had a great season in the NFL. There has never been a 1,000-yard season for a tight end over the age of 35. Tony Gonzalez is the only one to have 900 yards, with only Ben Watson, Shannon Sharpe and Antonio Gates having 700 yards.
Kelce can still get those points, but his season has started alarmingly. Not that he’s worried about it.
Travis Kelce doesn’t worry about catches, just wins
On the podcast “New Heights” with his brother Jason, the lack of production early in the season was brought up. It’s not like Travis Kelce tried to deny it. But when Jason asked him if he was frustrated, Travis said the numbers didn’t matter because the Chiefs were winning. Kansas City, seeking its third straight Super Bowl, is 3-0 to start the season.
“I’ve had a lot of catches in this league, man,” Travis Kelce said. “I don’t worry about the catches and the yards and all that stuff. I have the most fun when I get the ball my way, I mean, who doesn’t? It’s all about execution, making sure we do everything we can to win these football games, man. That’s always going to be the goal.”
Jason Kelce said he can’t wait for things to get better, and at that point Travis seemed to acknowledge that might not be the case.
“And if it’s not, that’s fine as long as we’re winning football games,” Travis Kelce said.
The Chiefs have narrowly escaped in all three games this season and it would be interesting to see how Kelce would react if the Chiefs had fallen short in a few of those games.
But that video of Kelce looking sad on the sidelines last week that instantly became a meme? He claims he’s doing fine as the Chiefs keep winning.
Kelce’s numbers have dropped significantly
Everyone expected Kelce to be pulled this season. He wasn’t quite the same last regular season, but he kept going and was great in the playoffs. The Chiefs wouldn’t have won a Super Bowl if Kelce hadn’t been his great self. It was expected that Kelce would be held back for the playoffs this season. That didn’t happen as planned. He’s playing a lot more, but he’s not getting the ball.
Kelce is still playing 85% of the Chiefs’ offensive snaps, which is actually an increase from last season. He only hit 85% four times last season and was around 78% the entire regular season. However, his targets have dropped significantly. He has caught just 12 passes. Since 2016, when he was at 7.3 targets per game, Kelce has had more than eight targets per game every season, including a couple of seasons with more than nine per game. That’s been cut in half to four. That’s a big drop.
Kelce’s Pro Football Focus grade ranks 30th among tight ends, behind the likes of Eric Saubert, Jeremy Ruckert and Charlie Woerner. Even if you don’t take PFF’s grades as gospel, it’s clear to see a difference in Kelce this season. Four targets and 23 yards per game isn’t what we’re used to.
Maybe that’s changing. He’s playing a lot of snaps and getting a fair amount of separation, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, and it might just be a matter of time before Patrick Mahomes starts giving him more catches. It’s also possible that Kelce is in a much different phase of his career, which he says he’s OK with if the Chiefs keep winning.
But the question is, can the Chiefs keep winning if Kelce is just a role player?
