What’s Going On With Travis Kelce?

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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) looks on next to tight end Travis Kelce (87) before a preseason NFL football game Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 26-13. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

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It’s hard to nitpick things with an undefeated team, especially given the nature of the NFL being a results-oriented business. With that said, the Kansas City Chiefs have achieved their 2-0 record by a narrow margin and have plenty of process-related questions remaining.

One of them is how long it will take to get superstar tight end Travis Kelce going. With passing and scoring numbers down throughout the league, no one is necessarily sounding any alarms just yet. Kelce’s slow start to the season, though, is noteworthy.

Speaking to the media following Sunday’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals, head coach Andy Reid dove into how Cincinnati worked to take Kelce out of the game. Reid believes his lack of statistical production has allowed the offense to pursue other avenues for success.

“They did have some things that they were attempting there,” Reid said. “He’ll get his catches. It’s not that he’s slowing down or any of that bit, that’s not what the deal is. It’s just teams focus on him and kind of know he’s been Pat’s go-to guy. What it’s done though, Soren (Petro), is that it’s allowed us to utilize the other guys around him and they’ve been productive.”

Two games into the 2024-25 campaign, Kelce has been targeted seven times and has four receptions for 39 yards and no scores. Here’s how he’s historically done in his first two games of the season:

2014: 11 targets, 7 receptions, 130 yards
2015: 11 targets, 10 receptions, 164 yards, 2 touchdowns
2016: 14 targets, 11 receptions, 108 yards
2017: 17 targets, 13 receptions, 143 yards, 1 touchdown
2018: 16 targets, 8 receptions, 115 yards, 2 touchdowns
2019: 17 targets, 10 receptions, 195 yards, 1 touchdown
2020: 20 targets, 15 receptions, 140 yards, 2 touchdowns
2021: 15 targets, 13 receptions, 185 yards, 3 touchdowns
2022: 16 targets, 13 receptions, 172 yards, 1 touchdown
2023: 17 targets, 11 receptions, 95 yards, 2 touchdowns (Weeks 2 and 3)

Kelce’s career tells us that to open the year, he’s good for 10-plus targets. He’s almost always going to crack the 100-yard mark, and more often than not he’ll do so on double-digit receptions and even add a touchdown or two. In Weeks 1 and 2 of this season, he hasn’t sniffed any of those marks.

None of this is to say the numbers are a direct reflection of Kelce as a player. After all, he’s just a handful of months removed from hauling in 32 passes for 355 yards and three scores in four playoff games earlier this calendar year. In ESPN Analytics‘ receiver scores for 2023-24, the future Hall of Fame man posted the second-best “open” grade of all tight ends despite battling injuries all year. He still looks good; Kansas City just isn’t getting him the ball right now.

It isn’t for a lack of snaps or talent. Kelce doesn’t appear to be over the hill. The numbers will have to trend up at some point, however, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes thinks it’s a foregone conclusion.

“They’re doing a great job of just kind of having two people for him pretty much the entire game,” Mahomes said. “That’s why you’ve seen guys like Rashee (Rice) and (Xavier) Worthy – I mean, if you look at the first touchdown, I’m actually looking at Trav and the backside safety goes all the way across the field to help guard Travis and then you throw the ball down the sideline to Rashee and that’s kind of what they’ve been doing. Obviously, we’ve played two opponents that we’ve played a lot, so they have a plan on how they’re going to account for Travis. As the season goes on, he’s going to get his catches, he’s going to get his yards. The leader that he is – what’s special is he’s hyping everybody up, he’s keeping everybody motivated and that’s what you need out of your great players.”