Like a Good Neighbor, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce Are There
When needed the most in the Kansas City Chiefs 33-31 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce were there when quarterback Patrick Mahomes was looking for an answer.
With 30 combined targets to the Chiefs receiving duo, Mahomes was surprised with the total when it was brought up to him in his postgame press conference
"You said 30? By God," Mahomes said before starting his answer.
"They're two special players," Mahomes said. "They both really understand the offense, they know how to get themselves open and they're hard guys to cover one-on-one. Whenever they're working like that, we're a hard offense to stop and you see guys when they get their number called, they make plays as well."
The pair had nearly identical stat lines as Kecle led all receivers with 159 yards but Hill was just behind him recording 113 yards.
Kelce also hauled in more passes as the tight end notched 10 catches while Hill grabbed nine.
Hill got the last laugh though as the high-octane receiver found the endzone twice while Kelce did not receive a touchdown pass.
Today was Hill's second consecutive multi-touchdown performance and the ninth of his career. His nine multi-receiving touchdown games lead the league since 2017.
With Kelce and Hill's receiving yards totals, it was the first time Kansas City has had two 100-yard receivers in the same game since wide receiver Demarcus Robinson and Kelce did it in Oakland on Sept. 15, 2019.
"I think it's a combination of everything," Mahomes said. "Them being as skilled as they are, them being as smart as they are. Then other guys, whenever they get their number called, making plays as well."
Kelce recorded over 100 yards receiving for his second-consecutive game. It was his third such game this season pushing his career 100+ yard receiving game total to 22. That's the second-most in team history by any player and is now tied for fourth-most by a tight end in NFL history.
"It's something I will never take for granted," Mahomes said about his relationship with Kelce. "To come into this offense, I've never played with a tight end before, then get the best tight end in the league, it's special. I'll always have a guy where I'll always know where he's going to be at and he's going to continue to work."
