No Tyreek, No Problem: Chiefs Still Have NFL's Best Duo
Five weeks into the 2022 NFL season, there are plenty of folks out there still questioning how the Kansas City Chiefs' offense is going to look without Tyreek Hill.
Don't get it twisted: that's fair. While Kansas City has been a top offense in the league through their first handful of games, the wideout position isn't as potent as it was when Hill was in town. Replacing a multiple-time Pro Bowler and the fastest player in the sport is nearly impossible, although the collection of Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Mecole Hardman, JuJu Smith-Schuster and others did a good job stepping up and producing at varying levels on Monday Night Football against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The straw that stirred the drink, however, was the same old duo of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
This shouldn't come as any surprise, as the two have connected for 41 regular-season touchdowns in less than five full seasons together. After Monday's play, Mahomes leads the NFL in passing touchdowns and Kelce leads the league in receiving touchdowns. Their greatness has been on full display for years now but even after Kelce turned 33 years old in the week leading up to the game, they're as sharp as ever and had arguably their most impressive performance in a game that required it. In the process, they also reminded the football world of one thing.
They're the NFL's best tandem, regardless of position or side of the football.
Whether it's attending concerts or other sporting events, teaming up in golf tournaments or simply the work they do on the practice field, it's obvious to anyone who follows that Mahomes and Kelce are great friends and get along extremely well even when they aren't playing in games. That chemistry translates directly to in-game situations and when combined with the offensive genius of Andy Reid, it makes them nearly unstoppable within Kansas City's scheme. When things break down, though, they're better than any current quarterback-receiver duo. The numbers prove it, too. Per Next Gen Stats in the middle of Monday's game:
Patrick Mahomes & Travis Kelce have gained 610 yards on scramble plays since 2018, the 2nd-most of any QB-Receiver duo, and 1 of only 2 over 400 yards, behind Russell Wilson & Tyler Lockett (658).
Kelce deserves a ton of credit for how he's aged gracefully to this point. Tight ends, in general, aren't supposed to become the first player with four receiving touchdowns in Monday Night Football history. They aren't supposed to become the first player ever with all four of those touchdowns being for less than 10 yards. They aren't supposed to have seven or more receiving touchdowns through their first five games of a season (a group that includes four tight ends in NFL history). When adding in the fact that Kelce is at an age that is widely considered near-ancient for a pass-catcher of his caliber, it makes his feat(s) even more impressive.
Mahomes also deserves some props. In just his fifth season as the Chiefs' full-time starter, he's already passed Hall of Famer Troy Aikman in career touchdown passes despite playing in just 41% of Aikman's career games. He's having one of the best statistical starts to his career and when factoring in how poor the Chiefs' pass protection has been at times and how inconsistent some of the new wideouts have been, this could be the most valuable Mahomes has been to the Chiefs at any point. Considering the team has won a Super Bowl with him and he literally has an MVP award on his resume, that's a testament to his ability to adjust to the dynamic environment around him.
When Hill was in Kansas City, he was pretty easily the best explosive threat in all of football. Heck, he still probably is, even with a much different quarterback situation as a member of the Miami Dolphins. He and Mahomes were nothing short of electric. There's no denying that, and the Chiefs are still learning how to maximize their offense without him.
With that said, Mahomes and Kelce are still the NFL's gold standard. Not only are they operating at or near the peak of their powers individually right now, but they're completely in sync and humming along as a pair, too. Despite opposing defenses knowing who the Chiefs' only elite target is and knowing where Mahomes is going with the football, they simply cannot find a way to stop a duo that will go down in NFL history as one of the very best ever. It isn't close: Mahomes and Kelce (still) form the league's best current one-two punch.
