Turns out Travis Kelce isn’t finished after all.
With his seven-catch, 89-yard performance in Kansas City’s 17-10 over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Mr. Taylor Swift may have quieted the mounting criticism he’s faced over his hard-partying offseason.
That he made only eight receptions over the Chiefs’ first three games initially seemed to confirm fears that he was unprepared for the 2024 campaign. But, as CBS’ broadcast duo of Jim Nantz and Tony Romo pointed out Sunday at SoFi Stadium, Kelce is far from done.
‘Kelce is back’,’ Romo, the retired Dallas Cowboys quarterback, told Nantz.
‘All the hot takes, you got to find someone else to troll this week,’ Nantz responded, breaking slightly from his usually deferential demeanor.
Kelce has faced continuous criticism over the last year for everything from his notoriety and relationship with Swift to his endorsement of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. But with his meager production in Weeks 1 through 3, many critics had pointed to Kelce’s hard-partying off-season for an explanation.
‘Every show I watch, every pregame show, halftime show, postgame show, weekday show, every broadcast I watch for the last few weeks, it’s like, are we not allowed to say that he’s out of shape?’ Todd McShay, a former NFL Draft analyst for ESPN, said on The Ryne Russilo podcast.
‘That he’s been partying all offseason? He’s been jet-setting around with the most famous person, probably in the entire world. That he’s drinking… going to the U.S. Open.’
McShay doubled down, saying Kelce’s ‘body is different’ and ‘he’s not in the same shape.’
‘I don’t see the same explosiveness,’ McShay said. ‘I see him wearing down a bit in-game.’
McShay did concede that Kelce could ‘work himself back into shape,’ and that may already be the case, judging by his Week 4 effort.
Sunday wasn’t only big for Kelce, but the Chiefs, who improved to 4-0 despite another slow start.
‘We weren’t playing good,’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes said after completing 20 of 29 passes for the day. ‘But I think the best thing is, no one talks about it and they start to now, but our defense is really good. They know how to shut the door and keep us in games. Then they believe that the offense is going to find a way to score enough points at the end.’
Without Swift on hand, Kelce recorded his 917th career catch, breaking Tony Gonzalez’s franchise record.
It certainly didn’t hurt that Los Angeles’ All-Pro safety Derwin James was suspended for illegal hits. However, Kelce still saw plenty of defensive attention in the absence of Chiefs receivers Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown, who is out indefinitely, and Rashee Rice, who may have been lost to a season-ending knee injury on Sunday.
Nonetheless, Kelce still reeled off his biggest gain of the season: a 38-yard first-half reception down the right sideline.
The Chiefs have now won six straight over the Chargers and 11 consecutive road wins within the AFC West.
‘I’m proud of our guys for hanging in there,’ head coach Andy Reid said afterwards. ‘Easily could have gone a different direction there, but the guys supported each other.’
