Patrick Mahomes and Jason Kelce have hit back at criticism of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, warning the best is yet to come this season; watch Kelce's Chiefs take on the Los Angeles Chargers live on Sky Sports NFL from 9.25pm this Sunday
Thursday 26 September 2024 15:58, UK
Patrick Mahomes and Jason Kelce have warned that Travis Kelce's time to thrive will come following a quiet start to the 2024 NFL season by the Kansas City Chiefs tight end's usual standards.
Kelce has made just eight catches from 12 targets for 69 yards through three weeks, across which the defending Super Bowl champions are a perfect 3-0 in their pursuit of what would be a historic third successive title.
His backseat start to the campaign has arrived as a result of not only more dedicated coverage from defenses keen to blunt his influence but so too the rising prominence of Rashee Rice, who leads the team with 24 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns.
Speaking on the pair's podcast New Heights, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason downplayed criticism of his brother's early season contributions.
"It's going to go your way, especially if you keep being the guy you've always been," he said. "There ain't nobody that I've ever played sports with and nobody that anybody's ever been on a team with that's loved being out there with Trav more. It's frustrating for me to have to watch and listen to, but I can't wait for it to turn."
The future Hall of Famer has long-been Mahomes' most favoured target at Arrowhead having posted seven straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 2016 to 2022. He was held to 984 yards in the regular season in 2023 before starring in the playoffs with 32 catches for 355 yards and three scores in four games as the Chiefs went on to beat the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL's Las Vegas season finale.
"I've had a lot of catches in this league," said Travis. "I'm not worried about the catches and the yards and all of that. I have the most fun when the ball is thrown my way. Who doesn't?
"But it has everything to do with execution and making sure we're doing whatever we can to win these football games. That's always going to be the goal.
"And if it doesn't [turn], as long as we're winning football games, we're good to go, baby."
Mahomes is no stranger to finding new ways to succeed, having seen defensive coordinators scramble across the league to cut off his deep ball to Tyreek Hill with two-high safety coverages before having to adjust to the departure of his star receiver altogether as he headed to Miami.
Few teams in the league have demanded such meticulous defensive preparation as much as Andy Reid's Chiefs, the only surprise being that solid plans to limit Kelce have not arrived sooner.
While Steve Spagnuolo's defense continues to prove instrumental, the positive for the Chiefs offense is production from young weapons after a 2023 campaign that at times had been marred by miscues and drops.
"I think he's handling it amazing, honestly," Mahomes said of Kelce's shortage of targets so far. "I feel like I want to get him the ball more, whereas he's just like, 'I just want to win, man. I don't care. I'll run these routes and take guys with me so that other guys can get open'.
"We understand he's an important part of this offense and we want to make sure we're still featuring him, but at the same time, if defenses are going to take away him, I have to get the ball to the other guys and let them make plays.
"But as the season goes on, if we continue to show that we're going to throw it to Rashee and we're going to throw it to these other guys that are going to make plays, teams are going to have to do those one-on-one matchups, and that's when Travis will eat."
Chiefs head coach Reid echoed the defence for Kelce, also brushing off suggestions his focus has drifted amid his high-profile relationship with Taylor Swift.
"I know people are saying that he is old or whatever, has distractions and all this [but] the defenses don't think that," said Reid. "We have another receiver [Rice] that plays opposite him that has a lot of yards and catches, and that's how this thing goes.
"He works his tail off, and he hasn't lost his step and all those things, and he's not distracted. That's not the case. People are making sure they have him taken care of by some of these defenses.''
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