Chiefs’ Travis Kelce poses problem as ‘one of the more complete tight ends’ in the NFL

Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia knows a thing a two about tight ends.

Before taking his current post, Patricia served as a defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots (2012-17) and watched his unit practice against Rob Gronkowski, a four-time All-Pro selection during a decorated career before retirement.

Now, Patricia must prepare for Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, a two-time second-team All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler in his own accomplished career.

Patricia has a fond respect for both players but elected to punt when it comes to the debate about which tight end is better.

“The good thing for me is I’ve got a great policy,” Patricia said with a laugh during a Wednesday teleconference. “I never compare players because they’re all great.”

The kidding aside, Patricia knows his defense will have its hands full against the pass when the Lions host the Chiefs at Ford Field.

Detroit has to contend with quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the NFL’s reigning MVP, and a trio of dangerous receiving weapons in Sammy Watkins, Demarcus Robinson and rookie Mecole Hardman.

And then there’s the 6-foot-5, 260-pound Kelce, whose 427 career catches and 5,520 yards receiving make him the fastest NFL tight end to record at least 425 receptions and 5,500 yards (83 games) in the Super Bowl era.

Kelce has also recorded a catch in 82 straight games, which marks the third-longest streak in Chiefs history and the seventh-longest active streak in the NFL.

The seventh-year pro is an explosive weapon in the Chiefs’ offense and his ability to put stress on an opponent had the Lions’ head coach raving.

“He’s fast, he’s long, he catches everything,” Patricia said of Kelce. “He’s got great hands. I think his run after the catch is phenomenal. He just does a great job in continuing just gaining yards after the catch and his route tree is expansive.

“He runs a lot of different routes and they do a lot of things with him. He’s just one of the more complete tight ends in the league that just does so much throughout the entire course of the game, both in the run and pass.”

The lofty production aside, Patricia points out what makes Kelce truly unique is the tight end’s ability to do more than just catch the football.

“Here’s a guy who does all the dirty work,” Patricia said. “He’ll block, he’ll get to the edge, he’ll clean up blocks, he’ll pass protect. He’ll do everything that is asked of him, and then when you go to the passing game, he’s just dynamic.”

Indeed, Kelce is one of the NFL’s most complete players at the tight end position. And there won’t be any debate with safety Tyrann Mathieu, who joined the Chiefs during the offseason after spending the 2018 season with the Houston Texans.

When asked what it was like to practice against Kelce, Mathieu left little doubt on the difficulties of squaring off against No. 87.

“Oh, yeah,” Mathieu said with a chuckle. “It’s a lot of work.”

As for the Gronkowski-Kelce debate, the Chiefs safety offered perspective, having played against Gronkowski in the 2018 season opener.

Mathieu said the Texans made it a point to double-team Gronkowski on virtually every play, but the former Patriots star still managed to be on the receiving end of Tom Brady’s passes for seven catches for 123 yards and a touchdown.

Nevertheless, Mathieu said there are differences between the two tight ends ... and one in particular jumps out.

“I look at a guy like Kelce, and it’s like his ability to get open in an offense that has so many weapons, I think, is phenomenal,” Mathieu said. “You look at Gronk, and it was in a lot of cases the ball has to go to Gronk or (Julian) Edelman.

“But in Kelce’s case, it’s like he’s winning good matchups, he’s finding a way to get open around great players. So I think that says a lot about him and his ability to understand coverages.”

Meanwhile, the Chiefs will likely be seeking to exploit mismatches through the running or passing game against the Lions.

Patricia’s defense, which currently ranks 23rd in the league (394.7 yards allowed per game), will be tested by a number of options in the Chiefs’ offense.

But there is one receiving weapon the Lions clearly understand they must account for wherever he lines up on the field.

“Travis Kelce knows that guys are going to try and do everything they can to stop him, but he just continually makes those plays,” Patricia said. “And I really thing that’s what makes players great is that when everything is on the line and they’ve got to have a play, those type of players step up and they make those plays no matter what is going on around them.”