Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has had quite a career. He is easily the best tight end currently in the NFL and has put himself in the conversation as one of the best ever with his sustained performance. But, at 33 and with Tyreek Hill no longer on the roster to divert the attention of opposing defenses, many people thought we could see his production begin to slip.
Anyone who thought that has been proven incorrect. Kelce has shown no signs of slowing down and is actually thriving as Patrick Mahomes’ unquestioned No. 1 target in the passing offense. He has earned his eighth Pro Bowl nomination and his fourth All-Pro team nod shouldn’t be far behind.
On the season, Travis Kelce has caught 104 receptions for 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns. The touchdowns are already a career-high, while he is only one reception and 116 yards short of setting new high marks in those statistics.
Kelce’s career-high of 1,416 receiving yards in 2020 is the most by a tight end in NFL history. He has a chance to reset that record in Week 18 while taking down another one in the process. Kelce is 13 receptions away from breaking the record held by Zach Ertz, which he set in 2018 with the Philadelphia Eagles.
It will be a tall task to break that record as Kelce’s season-high for receptions is 10 and he has been targeted at least 13 times only once. But, he couldn’t have asked for a much better matchup in the regular season finale.
The Chiefs will be heading on the road to face off against the Las Vegas Raiders, who have allowed the seventh most receptions to tight ends this season. In the first matchup this season, Kelce caught seven out of eight targets for 25 yards and four touchdowns.
Still having something to play for, the Chiefs should have their regulars on the field throughout their Saturday night matchup. Also helping Travis Kelce is the fact that Patrick Mahomes is chasing history himself as he is 430 yards away from breaking Peyton Manning’s single-season passing yardage record. If he wants to break that record, he will target Kelce early and often against the Raiders.
