Patrick Mahomes Gives Perfect Nickname for Travis Kelce After Hot Playoff Performance

Kelce completed his season-high reception yards in the team's divisional win over the Texans.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce reacts to catching a pass.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce reacts to catching a pass. / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
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After a somewhat disappointing 2024 season, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce really came alive in the team's 23–14 divisional win over the Houston Texans on Saturday.

Kelce led the Chiefs with 117 yards and one touchdown from seven receptions. This marked the most yards Kelce had all season. He also broke Jerry Rice's long-standing record by now having the most 100-plus reception yard playoff games in history with nine. He completed the longest play of the game, too, at 49 yards.

So, what is it about the playoffs that makes Kelce step up his game year after year? His quarterback Patrick Mahomes has an answer.

“Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games. ... This is Playoff Trav,” Mahomes said after the game. “He’s a leader, man. This is what he lives for, is playing in these moments, having the chance to make big-time plays. He goes out there and does that, and it seems like he does it in every single playoff game.”

Kelce will have a chance to keep showing off "Playoff Trav" next Sunday when the Chiefs play in the AFC championship game for a seventh straight year. Kansas City is on the path to try to win three Super Bowl titles in a row, a feat that has yet to be accomplished in NFL history.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.