Travis Kelce enters the postseason for the second consecutive year with questions about whether he’s lost a step.
In 2023, Kelce sat out the season finale, breaking his seven-year streak of 1,000-plus yards, and his then-career-low of 10.6 yards per catch brought on questions about his longevity. Then, the future Hall of Famer mashed in the postseason, gobbling up 355 yards and three touchdowns on 32 catches en route to another Lombardi-lifting ceremony.
The 2024 season brought another dip in production. In 16 tilts, Kelce generated 823 yards, his fewest in a season outside of a one-game rookie campaign. The TE caught 97 passes with just three TDs and 8.5 yards per grab.
Despite Kelce generating career lows, Patrick Mahomes anticipates another big postseason run from the star tight end.
“I think it’s just the greats, man. They step up in the playoffs and it’s just higher intensity,” Mahomes said Tuesday, via the team’s official transcript. “The best players and the best leaders step up and make the best plays, and he’s done that, and (I) expect the same from him going into these playoffs. I think his mentality that he steps on the football field with at practice and on game day kind of resonates with the entire team and gets everybody to play their best football, and that’s what it takes in order to win championships.”
Kelce routinely ups his game in the postseason. He has averaged 69.4 receiving YPG in his regular-season career and 86.5 receiving YPG in the playoffs. Kelce has the most receptions (165) in NFL postseason history, and his 1,903 receiving yards and 19 receiving TDs rank second behind only Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.
Mahomes and Kelce have connected on 17 touchdowns in their playoff careers, the most by any duo in NFL playoff history (Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski rank second with 15).
Kelce has 70-plus receiving yards in 13 consecutive playoff games, the longest streak in NFL history. He’ll try to make it 14 straight Saturday against Houston.