It was a point that didn’t receive much attention until after the Kansas City Chiefs secured their second straight Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Around this time last season, tight end Travis Kelce and the Chiefs faced a meaningless Week 18 game — then against the Los Angeles Chargers. The tight end was amid an historic 1,000-yard-season streak that spanned seven years.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has a history of permitting players to pursue records and monetary incentives in Week 18, and all Kelce needed was 16 yards to get there. The decision was up to him.
Kelce opted to sit out, giving himself an opportunity to rest and recover for the postseason.
“He had a lot to play for personally and a lot on the line personally at stake, and for the betterment of the team, he didn’t play,” remembered passing game coordinator Joe Bleymaier as he spoke to the media on Thursday. “He said it would be better for me to rest for us going forward as a team.
I think that without it even being said, that permeated through the entire locker room. Here’s a guy who’s got everything on the line in regard to this decades-long legacy. He knows where we’re trying to get to in February — and he’s giving that up for us.”
Following his week of rest, Kelce appeared rejuvenated in the playoffs, seeming like his 28-year-old self again. In each of the Chiefs’ four postseason games, he recorded at least 71 yards. He scored twice in Buffalo and added another score in the AFC Championship game in Baltimore.
“I remember him just having just a little extra more,” said offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. “It’s critical when you can get to that point. He’s been doing this for a long time. He’s got more reps than most people in this league, so when you can take advantage of that and get these types of games where you get a bye week, for him, it’s massive taking to you into what matters the most in the playoffs.”
Kansas City has already announced that quarterback Carson Wentz will start in place of Patrick Mahomes on Sunday against the Denver Broncos. It’s also unlikely defensive tackle Chris Jones, running back Isiah Pacheco and right tackle Jawaan Taylor — who have all been out of practice nursing injuries — will suit up.
It’s reasonable to assume the 35-year-old Kelce will join that list after a season that began slowly but picked up momentum midway through.
“I go back to when we all were in these conversations earlier in the year and talking about, ‘Did he lose a step? And he’s not getting the football,’” recalled Nagy. “Like three games later — I know Rashee [Rice] got hurt — but he had like 16 targets one game.”
Nagy remembered right — as Kelce caught 14 of those targets for 100 yards in Kansas City’s Week 9 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“The beautiful part about Trav is that he does not care,” added Nagy. “He wants to continue to just keep winning. He cares about these trophies, he cares about winning, extremely unselfish, how he takes care of his body in practice throughout the week. It’s just special. You’re not going to see many tight ends like him, and what he does is rare.
“I’d say he’s having a hell of a season right now, and I think, if you ask any of these guys, they’re ready to just keep this thing going.”
