Travis Kelce Thinks KC Chiefs’ Offense Is ‘Moving in the Right Direction'

Despite some inconsistencies on offense through six weeks, Kelce can see signs of improvement popping up.

As the Kansas City Chiefs' defense continues to play excellent football, the offense has lagged behind a bit to begin the 2023 season. It's been the story of almost every game the team has played, which is ironic considering it's still functioning as a top 10 unit in the NFL in the grand scheme. With that said, the group's inconsistency and sub-elite play relative to expectations have managed to turn heads in the wrong direction six weeks into the year. 

According to tight end Travis Kelce on Friday afternoon, though, the offense is reversing course in a good way. He believes it's evident in practice.

"I see us moving in the right direction, to be honest," Kelce said. "I mean, we're not putting up the points that we want but at the same time, you know, we've got good direction on where we can clean things up and where we can move forward. And that's the biggest thing, because we've got guys that are finding their roles and are getting more comfortable into their roles, and it's just going to keep going from there. Guys, every single week, you see them flying around a little bit faster at practice [and] attacking the ball a little bit differently. All of that's going to translate into the game as long as we just keep working our tails off like we have been."

Compared to the 2022-23 Chiefs, there are some familiar faces in the same exact roles they played a year ago. The interior of the offensive line remains intact, as do quarterback Patrick Mahomes, running back Isiah Pacheco and Kelce himself. A pair of brand-new tackles has led to some growing pains, however, and the wide receiver position experiencing some responsibility-specific turnover is also slowing down the progress of the whole group. The former collective is figuring things out and playing better on the field, whereas the latter is still a very clear work in progress.

At the top, veteran Justin Watson is expected to miss some time with an elbow contusion. Behind him, rookie Rashee Rice is turning in a better rookie campaign than expected but at the same time, he's still early in his development. On the next tier, Skyy Moore has yet to display any progression in year No. 2 on the job and Marquez Valdes-Scantling plays like someone who has regressed. Kadarius Toney's role isn't expanded, which is contrary to what was hinted at during the offseason. Justyn Ross can't be counted on yet. The team's hope is that the addition of Mecole Hardman will help support the wide receiver room, which is a sentiment that Kelce echoes. 

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"It's crazy," Kelce said. "When you get a guy like Mecole who's got a big personality [and is] friends with everybody on the team, a brother to everybody on the team — both offense and defense — when you get a guy like that back in the building, it lights everybody up. It gives everybody that good mojo, similar to when a guy like Blake Bell came back. You like to see the good guys come back and sure enough, you'll see him out there flying around [and] having a blast on Sunday."

Last year, the Chiefs got off to a 4-2 start through six weeks but won by 21 points heading into their bye to end their month of October. Seven weeks into the year, Andy Reid and Matt Nagy's group had produced three games with at least 40 points and four with at least 30 points. The offense shared the same "moving in the right direction" feel given its circumstances, but it was actually doing so at the same time. This year, things haven't been as smooth.

Kansas City has just one 40-point outing this season: a Week 3 blowout win over the Chicago Bears. The next-highest scoring total? A 27-point output versus the Minnesota Vikings a couple of weeks ago. The Chiefs have been consistent about not wanting to peak at the right time in recent years, so there's reason to believe that the franchise is truly focused on improving in time for the stretch run of the season. It's happened multiple times on the defensive side of the football, after all. When asked to compare last October to this October, Kelce didn't draw too much from the past. He did manage to reiterate that this season's group is still in the building stage, a phase of development that he thinks is necessary and will pay off in the long run. 

"I mean, every single year is different," Kelce said. "You get dealt different challenges and right now, I just feel like we're hitting [our] stride as a unit, as a group. And everybody's not getting frustrated with it. We're still trying to build, like I said earlier, and find where everybody's role is in this offense and it's just going to keep growing from there. But I think October and November are the two months throughout the year where you really build the team. You can't get frustrated with the downs."

Read More: Mecole Hardman Gives Shocking Details Behind Serious 2022 Injury