Patrick Mahomes has blamed Travis Kelce‘s poor start to the NFL season on rival defenses purposefully targeting the Kansas City Chiefs tight end. The reigning Super Bowl champions extended their perfect start to the season to 3-0 on Sunday night as they beat the Atlanta Falcons 22-17.
But it was another miserable night for Kelce, whose girlfriend Taylor Swift skipped the game, as cameras caught him looking particularly miserable on the sideline in a clip which went viral.
A fed-up Kelce, who only had four catches for 30 yards in Atlanta, could be seen rubbing his right eye before staring into space despondently as he sat on the bench at the end of the first half.
It has been an unusually sluggish start to the season for the 34-year-old as he looks to add a fourth Super Bowl ring – and third in a row – to his collection in 2024.
His return against the Falcons means he now has just 69 yards across three games, although he did manage to double his reception tally to eight.
Mahomes claimed afterwards that Kelce’s coverage by opponents is making it hard to get the ball to him.
The quarterback said: ‘I mean the respect factor they have for Travis is still unreal and it’s well deserved.
‘We’re calling a lot of plays for Travis and it’s like two or three people are going to him.
‘He understands. That’s the great thing about him. He wants to make an impact on the game but he wants to win at the end of the day.
‘I’m going to try and do my best to keep feeding him the ball whenever he’s there, whenever he’s open.
‘I think the more Rashee (Rice) makes plays, the more we’re able to run the football, the more we can get (Xavier) Worthy involved, I think that’s going to open up Travis more.
‘People are really emphasizing trying to take him away and it’s getting other guys open.’
Kelce’s latest off-night came after girlfriend Swift failed to make an appearance at a Chiefs game for the first time this season.
Amy Cooper
Dream
Palmer McAllister
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