Although the Chiefs have managed to make it 3-0 at the start of their regular season, not everything is going in the right direction in Kansas City. After they managed to squeeze out a win against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, the Chiefs may have a problem with their offensive line. On the day when the Chiefs had to crawl their way to a win in Atlanta, TE Travis Kelce continued his poor start to the season.
Yes, it was yet another miserable night for Taylor Swift’s boyfriend, who finished with four catches for 30 yards this weekend. This got ex-NFLer Geoff Schwartz expressing his thoughts about the possible scenario, “I think a few things are happening. Yes, teams are covering Kelce, but I also think the Chiefs are trying to find offense without being so reliant on Kelce. He’s nearing the end of his career, and he’s more valuable in the postseason than early season.”
I think a few things are happening.
Yes teams are covering Kelce but I also think the Chiefs are trying to find offense without being so reliant on Kelce. He’s nearing the end of his career and he’s more valuable in the postseason than early season. https://t.co/wPyM5ZtZop— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) September 23, 2024
Well, Schwartz’s opinion stems from Mahomes’ confession regarding Kelce not being heavily involved. After the game in Atlanta, Mahomes said, “We’re calling a lot of plays for Travis, and it’s like two or three people are going to him. He understands. That’s the great thing about him. He wants to make an impact on the game, but he wants to win at the end of the day.” Although the Chiefs came away with a win in Atlanta, Kelce looked dejected sitting on the bench.
When the cameras captured him at the end of the first half, Kelce was seen rubbing his eyes while looking hopeless on the sidelines. But not everything went wrong for the 34-year-old, as he managed to double his reception tally to eight. Even Kelce’s girlfriend was nowhere to be seen for the first time this season. It’s more surprising because Swift was supposedly on a break from her Eras Tour when she was spotted hanging out with BFF Gigi Hadid on Saturday.
But are the alarm bells ringing on Kelce’s 12-year career in the NFL? As the Chiefs are looking to get other players involved rather than the three-time Super Bowl champion.
Are the Chiefs putting other players first as Travis Kelce’s struggles continue?
While the fans were wondering why Mahomes was not picking Kelce, he gave his thoughts about the situation. “I think the more Rashee Rice makes plays, the more we’re able to run the football. The more we can get Xavier Worthy involved. I think that’s going to open Travis more. People are really emphasizing trying to take him away, and it’s getting other guys open,” Mahomes shared. Well, the three-time Super Bowl champion is not wrong, as Rice finished his outing with 12 catches and 110 yards on the night.
Even Rice heaped praise on the reigning Super Bowl Champion, “I love that, just because he’s the greatest quarterback I’ve ever played with.” But what about Kelce? Where did it all go wrong for the 9-time Pro Bowler? Going back to last season, Kelce broke the NFL record for most consecutive seasons with 1,000 receiving yards for a TE. Even coming into this season, most of us thought that Mahomes bestie would continue from where he left off.
However, it hasn’t been the same. As some fans are saying, “at least two more good years left before retirement.” Although we don’t know for sure whether Kelce is thinking about hanging up his cleats. Or the Chiefs are looking to move away from their highest-paid TE. It’s still a long season, and anything can happen in Kansas City. But for now, we can just hope that Kelce can turn around his season while Mahomes finds him regularly, as he used to.
As we wait for next week’s NFL action, do check out our latest Think Tank exclusive interview with Doug Sanders. It’s packed with insights on college football, the current NFL season and more.
