Travis Kelce: Something to Prove ‘Every Single Day'

The Chiefs' superstar tight end was laser focused following KC's big Week 1 victory.

While the Kansas City Chiefs have witnessed plenty of things change over the course of the offseason and into the regular season, two things have remained the same: Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes form one of the best duos in NFL history.

That was never more evident than in Kansas City's Week 1 win over the Arizona Cardinals, a 44-21 domination that saw the likes of Mahomes and Kelce connect for nine targets, eight completions, 121 yards and a touchdown. Time and time again, the best quarterback-tight end tandem in the league picked right back up where it left off towards the end of last season and was in prime form. It was a sight to behold.

Kelce, who is set to turn 33 years old in October, played through some bumps and bruises in the 2021 campaign but still managed to continue his historic streak of 1,000-yard seasons. The now 10-year veteran has cemented his status as a future Hall of Famer, and he joined Rob Gronkowski and Tony Gonzalez as the only tight ends ever to have 100 receiving yards in 30 separate contests. Despite that, Kelce says he still has something to prove. 

"Every single day," Kelce said. "It doesn't matter whether it was my first day on the job or a day like today. I always feel like I have something to prove, and I feel like I always have to take my game to the next level. It's just the mentality I've always had to just keep getting better at my craft."

Part of that relentless pursuit of improvement is common in just about all professional athletes. The ones who are truly great, however, turn that dial up a notch. Kelce is one of them, as is Mahomes. Whether it's his pocket presence, touch on throws or simply knowing when to take his check-down options, Mahomes is constantly trying to get better at something despite staking claim to possibly being the best player in the world. Kelce appreciates that and when asked about Mahomes's evolution as of late, Kelce praised his quarterback. 

"It's just more consistent," Kelce said. "Not to say that he was any less of a quarterback than he is today, but everybody's always trying to work to get better. If you're not doing that in your profession, you might need to take a look in the mirror."

Mahomes completed passes to nine different receivers and targeted 10 against the Cardinals, sharing the love in a way that he admitted could be a pretty common theme for Kansas City's offense in 2022. Even in the midst of that, Kelce remained a focal point of the offensive plan of attack. That theme should also carry for the remainder of the season and as long as Kelce is still elite at what he does.

When asked about the reactions to Sunday's blowout win from the Chiefs' new pass-catchers, Kelce said "all smiles." Everyone is beginning to see their hard work pay off, and that bodes well for the future of the team. Kelce made sure to not let anyone's head get too big, though, as a huge divisional battle with the Los Angeles Chargers awaits on Thursday. If he has anything to do with it, everyone will be ready to roll and should have something to prove yet again. 

"The biggest thing was making sure those smiles didn't get too crazy," Kelce said. "We've got a game on Thursday that we know is going to be one of the toughest opponents that we play all year. We're going to have to gear up and get fired up for a short week."