Travis Kelce Praised for Leadership as KC Chiefs Punch Tickets to Super Bowl LVIII
The Kansas City Chiefs' offense was far from great in Sunday's win over the Baltimore Ravens, but it was great when it needed to be. As things turned out, all the visitors required were their first-half points to defeat the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.
Patrick Mahomes's greatness contributed to the win, with tight end Travis Kelce going right alongside him. While the former was efficient, the latter stepped up big-time in his most critical outing of the 2023-24 campaign.
Kelce, known for bringing excitement and energy to the team, certainly did so on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium. After the game, head coach Andy Reid tipped his cap to his star tight end for being ready to go and bringing everyone along with him.
"Listen, Travis is always fired up," Reid said. "He's always fired up but with the playoffs, he's even more so. I never worry about him being ready to go — he's always right there and just brings that emotion to the guys. That, just, secure feeling that we're going to go get this thing no matter what. And don't think of anything opposite that — we're going to get it. I appreciate his attitude always, and he's just added a little bit to it. I think that week off helped him, for him to be able to get a little bit of rest, get in there and go."
Kelce was targeted 11 times against the Ravens, hauling in every last one of those passes. He also logged 116 yards, his most since Week 7 against the Los Angeles Chargers. He also scored a touchdown, making it three times he's gotten into the end zone in the last two weeks.
According to Next Gen Stats, the probability of Kelce bringing in all of his 11 targets was a measly 0.6%. Heck, the completion probability on his back-shoulder grab over Kyle Hamilton (less than a full yard of target separation) checked in at just under 27%. The degree of difficulty Kelce had on several of his grabs, including a vintage drive-extending third-down snag on a pitch from Mahomes, made up a brilliant afternoon.
On Friday, Kelce said he was up for the challenge of finding ways to achieve success versus Baltimore's tough defense. Apparently, the message went further back than that. Mahomes said on Sunday night that Kelce set a clear tone during the week of practice.
"He's one of those guys that loves the challenge," Mahomes said. "All week, rightfully so, we heard about how great their defense was. And they were, they shut us out in the second half. But for Travis, that's like, 'Alright, what can I do against this great defense?' He has that mindset, and he led us like that. Every single practice, every single walkthrough, he was focused in, he was locked in and bringing energy. It makes my job a lot easier when you have a guy that's in that room, that tight end room and that receiving room, he can lead those young guys and show them how we do and lead us to an AFC championship."
Now in his 11th season, Kelce has seen and done quite a bit in his football career. He's missed the playoffs, won the division, felt heartbreaking early postseason losses, secured championships and everything in between. Since Mahomes took over as the franchise's starter, all he's witnessed is the AFC Championship or the Super Bowl. Now, even after a tumultuous 2023-24 campaign, the Chiefs are back on the big stage. With leaders like Kelce, someone who's been around as long as Reid in Kansas City, the infrastructure is in place to potentially seal the deal next month.
