• A mysteriously sluggish begin: Through three video games, Kelce has recorded simply eight catches for 69 scoreless yards, incomes a modest 61.8 PFF receiving grade.
• The knock-on impact: Kansas City’s offense has been comparatively common regardless of their 3-0 file. The group ranks 14th in staff offense grade, sixteenth in staff passing grade and 18th in staff receiving grade. They’ve generated 0.018 EPA per play, thirteenth within the league and the bottom amongst groups with a optimistic determine.
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Estimated studying time: 3 minutes
The Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl championship protection couldn’t be going significantly better. They’re at present 3-0, with all three wins coming towards groups with critical playoff aspirations, and 4 of their subsequent six video games are towards groups that missed the postseason final 12 months.
In reality, of the Chiefs’ remaining 14 opponents, solely six had successful data final 12 months. So, one other No. 1 seed within the AFC playoff race may be very a lot within the playing cards.
With the staff getting out to an undefeated begin regardless of going through the likes of the Ravens, Bengals and Falcons, it should be protected to imagine the Patrick Mahomes–Travis Kelce connection is as soon as once more operating roughshod over the league, proper?
Well, not precisely.
Through three video games, Kelce has recorded simply eight catches for 69 scoreless yards, incomes a modest 61.8 PFF receiving grade.
To put these numbers into perspective, Philadelphia Eagles tight finish Dallas Goedert surpassed all of these numbers in a single sport this previous Sunday, hauling in 10 passes for 170 yards towards the New Orleans Saints.
To get a way of how sluggish this begin has been, right here’s a breakdown of his key stats from the primary three video games of every season since Patrick Mahomes grew to become the Chiefs’ beginning quarterback in 2018:
| Season | Receiving grade | Rec/Tgt | Yards | Touchdowns | First downs | YPRR | Target % |
| 2024 | 61.8 | 8/13 | 69 | 0 | 4 | 0.76 | 14.3% |
| 2023 | 78.8 | 17/26 | 155 | 2 | 7 | 1.85 | 30.9% |
| 2022 | 79.5 | 17/24 | 230 | 2 | 11 | 2.21 | 23.1% |
| 2021 | 91.9 | 20/26 | 289 | 3 | 14 | 2.73 | 24.5% |
| 2020 | 82.5 | 21/25 | 227 | 2 | 13 | 1.86 | 20.5% |
| 2019 | 83.3 | 17/24 | 284 | 1 | 12 | 3.02 | 25.5% |
| 2018 | 85.6 | 16/21 | 229 | 2 | 7 | 2.46 | 22.6% |
Note: Kelce missed week 1 of 2023 as a consequence of harm, so 2023 stats are from Weeks 2-4, whereas the remaining are from weeks 1-3.
Typically, Kelce has began seasons sturdy throughout his seven-year run with Mahomes as quarterback. His lowest-ever receiving grade beneath Mahomes got here in Week 1 of 2018, when he managed only one catch for six yards, because the duo was nonetheless constructing the chemistry that might finally make them a number of Super Bowl titles.
Kelce’s subsequent three lowest receiving grades to start out a season all occurred in 2024: 63.0 towards the Ravens, 59.6 towards the Bengals and 61.2 towards the Falcons.
Excluding the beforehand talked about 6-yard sport, Kelce’s three performances this 12 months additionally mark his lowest early-season receiving yardage totals. He has but to surpass 46 yards in a sport in 2024, whereas his earlier season-low by means of the primary three video games was 51 yards.
As a outcome, Kansas City’s offense has been pretty common regardless of the staff’s 3-0 file. The group ranks 14th in staff offense grade, sixteenth in staff passing grade and 18th in staff receiving grade. They’ve generated 0.018 EPA per play, thirteenth within the league and the bottom mark amongst groups with a optimistic determine.
Kelce is nearing his thirty fifth birthday, an age when most tight ends have already begun to say no. He’s only some months youthful than Rob Gronkowski, who retired almost three years in the past. While Kelce’s place in Canton is assured, this season may very well be the primary indicators of decline for the legendary tight finish. If so, it poses a big problem for Kansas City in its pursuit of turning into the primary staff within the Super Bowl period to win three consecutive championships.