In Week 4, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 17-10, and standout tight end Travis Kelce led the club with seven receptions for 89 yards, marking his first outstanding performance of the 2024 campaign. Following the victory, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid discussed how the soon-to-be 35-year-old came through for the club when they needed him and why the tight end was finally able to have a huge game.
“Yeah. They played quite a little bit of zone out there and Kelce did a nice job of just getting in windows,” Reid said postgame. “Then when they did play man, he was able to do a nice job there. There wasn’t as much double team as maybe you’ve seen or settling on him as much as he’s seen, so he did very good.”
“Well, I really don’t care what anybody thinks,” Reid continued. “I watch what the defense does and how they respect him. I take it off of that and I watch Trav every day, so I get to see him and how he works. He never wants to come out in practice, and the game, he’s all in all the time. So, I don’t know, I don’t worry about all that.”
In addition, Mahomes discussed Kelce’s outstanding afternoon and the reasons the Chiefs needed him more than ever in their Week 4 matchup with the Chargers.
“I think it’s a mixture of everything,” Mahomes said. “Obviously, with Rashee Rice going out early, you’ve got to put Kelce back in that situation where he is getting a high volume of catches. And then the Chargers were taking away some of the outside stuff, leaving the middle of the field open and we were able to get it to Trav in some of those zone coverages. But I mean the whole Kelce thing in general hasn’t been a worry to me. I know whenever we need him he’s going to make plays and that’s what he did today.”
The most important thing to remember from Mahomes’ remarks is that Kelce will undoubtedly be visible to fans far more this season than they may have anticipated.
Though the Chiefs have avoided high-profile, high-dollar players since Tyreek Hill was traded in 2022, they have over the past few seasons assembled a strong youthful weaponry for quarterback Patrick Mahomes. But the cupboard is beginning to look quite empty with running back Isaiah Pacheco and wide receiver Hollywood Brown on injured reserve and wide receiver Rashee Rice probably gone for the season due to an ACL tear.
Now, Kansas City has uninspired names like JuJu Smith-Schuster, Skyy Moore, Justin Watson, and Mecole Hardman at wide receiver, along with an exciting (but small) first-round rookie in Xavier Worthy. At running back, the team has former out-of-the-league player Kareem Hunt, veteran journeyman Samaje Perine, and undrafted rookie Carson Steele.
Mahomes’ finest receivers and runs are falling like flowers, so the team will need Kelce sooner rather than later this year. The team was happy to let him ease his way into the 2024 campaign once it appeared that he was the tight end after the first six games. But given all of these ailments, it appears like he will be a vital component of the offense well before the postseason.
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