Why Randy Moss Thinks Chiefs Are on Verge of Big Day

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Randy Moss said something Sunday morning that should fire up the Chiefs as they battle Houston in cold weather.

“I think this is the Travis Kelce game,” the Hall of Fame receiver said on Sunday NFL Countdown. “Being able to get the ball out quick in the short spaces, being able to get those 5 yards, those 7-to-8-yard routes, and get this man the ball!

“I don't think this is the game that you want Patrick Mahomes to be sitting back there patting the ball, waiting on guys to get open.”

It certainly isn’t. Not only are the Chiefs likely to start three backup offensive linemen, the Texans this season have allowed opponents a league-low 74.2 passer rating. The league average is 91.9.

Makes too much sense

Kelce makes a lot of sense, just as he did 323 days ago in the divisional playoffs against much-the-same Houston defense. On that day, the tight end powered the Chiefs to a 23-14 win with 117 yards and a touchdown on seven catches.

No doubt, that game is fresh in Houston’s mind especially considering that those 117 yards came on a day the defense allowed the Chiefs only 212 total yards of offense.

“Well, Travis Kelce had half of that,” Moss noted. “And I'd see something similar like that today happening. You talked about all these injuries in the front line, Patrick Mahomes holding onto that ball, I think lane discipline of how they rush after Patrick will definitely be on display today. But I think this is the Travis Kelce game.”

randy mos — Nov 25, 2018; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings former player Randy Moss accepts his hall of fame induction ring at halftime in a game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images | Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

A new year

What’s notable is that a Travis Kelce game is more likely to emerge on Sunday Night Football (7:20 p.m. CT, NBC/KSHB-TV, Channel 41, 96.5 The Fan) than it was in that Jan. 18 contest. Last year, Kelce had only 823 yards the entire season, averaging just 8.5 yards per reception.

This year through 12 games, Kelce already has 719 yards and is averaging nearly 4 more yards per catch (12.2). Plus, his 66.7-percent receiving success rate is his best since 2014. That category measures his number of targets that gain 60 percent of needed yardage on first down, 40 percent on second down and 100 percent on third or fourth downs.

But the intangible on Sunday night is that it’ll be the coldest game of the year for both teams.

“It's my kind of football, baby, my kind of football,” Kelce said on this week’s edition of New Heights. “Especially after a weekend of rest. Yeah, go out there, fly around on the ice, man. (expletive), man. Take me back. That's what it feels like, like we're in the ice rink, man.

“That's why I love those games more. There's something about being in the cold and sweating that I feel my most athletic self. I don't know why, it feels like my sanctuary.”

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