Chiefs’ Travis Kelce sets record, stands alone among tight ends in NFL history
Travis Kelce has set another record.
Or actually, he’s just extended his own.
With a 19-yard catch in the second quarter Sunday against the Broncos, Kelce surpassed 1,000 yards for the season, his fifth straight year crossing that mark.
He’s the first tight end in NFL history with five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. When he reached the milestone last season, he was the first tight end to do it in four straight years. Ironically enough, he also set that record against the Broncos.
A big career mark.
And a big game, to boot.
Kelce broke the Chiefs’ sour red-zone streak Sunday night in the second half. The Chiefs had come up without touchdowns on seven straight trips inside the 20-yard line before quarterback Patrick Mahomes found him on a drag route for a third-quarter touchdown to give the Chiefs a three-point lead.
Kelce has more than 1,000 career yards against the Broncos after Sunday’s game. The Broncos and Raiders are the only teams against which he’s totaled at least 1,000. He’s now more successful versus Denver than any other NFL team.
“He’s just a mismatch for defenses to cover,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “I mean he’s someone that in man coverage, it’s hard to find a guy that can cover him, that can guard him. It has to be a special type of athlete on the other side of the ball.
“And then in zone coverages, he played quarterback a little bit while he was in Cincinnati, so he understands how zones work and how to get himself open in zone coverages. Obviously, this year we’ve seen a lot of those zones. I think that’s why you see the success that he’s having so far.”
Even while putting together one of the best careers at his position, Kelce is having his own career-best season. He’s averaging 88.9 yards per game, the most in any single season. He also has eight touchdowns.
With his outing Sunday, he has tied Kellen Winslow for the third most 100-yard games among tight ends with 24. Only Tony Gonzalez and Rob Gronkowski have more at the position.
He’s a constant outlet for his quarterback, the two of them developing a connection that has at times even surprised Kelce himself.
“I feel like I see and I feel what Patrick sees back there in the pocket sometimes,” Kelce said after his game-winning touchdown in the final minute to beat the Raiders last month.
This story was originally published December 6, 2020 at 8:28 PM.