TRAVIS Kelce is off to the worst start to an NFL season of his career, and his stats may have been signaling an incoming decline.
Travis Kelce has yet to score a touchdown this season, and Kelce may be close to being benched.
Travis Kelce is off to the worst start of a season of his career[/caption]
Kelce’s stats show that his numbers have been in decline since last year[/caption]
Through the first three games of this season, Kelce has only caught eight passes for 69 yards.
For some reason, he hasn’t been able to form his trademark connection with quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and the Chiefs offense looks lackluster compared to their last two Super Bowl years.
While Kelce’s regression may seem sudden, there may have been some signs of his age playing a factor.
Kelce is in his age-35 season, and he was already starting to show signs of slowing down.
Last season, Kelce didn’t cross the 1,000-yard mark for the first time since 2015. He finished with 984 yards.
He also had his lowest touchdown total since 2019 in the 2023 campaign, finishing with just five scores.
Kelce finished that season with 984 yards and five touchdowns. He still made the Pro Bowl, but it was one of the lesser years of his career.
The tight end wasn’t named to an All-Pro team for the first time since 2015, and now he is likely going to miss out on both the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro team.
Kelce isn’t too worried about his lack of production, saying that he’s just happy to help the team win, but he also admitted it’s less fun to play football without scoring.
“I’ve had a lot of catches in this league, man,” Kelce said.
“I’m not worried about the catches and the yards, and all of that. I have the most fun when I get the ball thrown my way, I mean, who doesn’t?
“It has everything to do with execution and just making sure we’re doing everything we can to win these football games. That’s always going to be the goal.
“I think everyone saw my drop in the fourth quarter and the crucial third down, just trying to do too much before putting the ball away.”
Mahomes has also given his tight end a vote of confidence, saying he is going to keep feeding him opportunities.
NFL important dates
August 1 – Hall of Fame Game – Houston Texans vs Chicago Bears
August 8 – Pre-season begins
August 27 – Deadline for 53-man rosters
September 1 – Final day of pre-season
September 5 – Season opener – Baltimore Ravens vs Kansas City Chiefs
November 5 – Trade deadline
January 5 – Week 18 of regular-season
January 11 – Playoffs begin
February 9 – Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Louisiana
“I mean, the respect factor they have for Travis is still unreal, and it’s well deserved,” he said.
“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.”
Kelce has yet to score a touchdown this season[/caption]
