Andy Reid says Travis Kelce is willing to “sacrifice” amid a down year
There is no skirting around the fact that Travis Kelce Statistically speaking, he’s an underachiever, but he’s the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. Andy Reid praised his star tight end for making the most of it.
Kielce, 35 years old, has only two touchdowns through Kansas City’s first 15 games of the season. The 9-time Pro Bowler never finished a season with less than 5.
Also, Kelce has collected 739 receiving yards — certainly not a number the average tight end can sneeze at — but Kelce has never finished a season with less than 862 going back to his rookie campaign in 2014.
The Chiefs have two regular season games left, both on the road, Wednesday, December 25th against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Sunday, January 5th against the Denver Broncos.
Patrick Mahomes opened up about his friendship with Travis Kelce after the pair connected for a crucial completion in the Kansas City Chiefs’ game-clinching game on Sunday, Dec. 8. Kelce after the team’s 19-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. “Without emotion, he (…)
Given all the noise about Kelsey not working, Reid, 66, admitted that Kelsey hears the chatter, but has learned to let it roll off his back.
“He’s doing a good job with all of that,” Reid said told reporters on Monday, December 23. “A good team leader. That’s why he’s been elected captain for the last few years.”
Reid continued, “He would sacrifice for the cause, as they say. I’m not telling you that he doesn’t like to play and catch and do all that. He loves it. But at the same time, he is always ready to help.”
Despite Kelce’s lackluster numbers, the Chiefs still managed to earn a 14-1 record, the best in the NFL.
Head coach Kelce’s comments came after the Chiefs signed the veteran tight end Robert Tonian to their practice squad, which could affect Kelce’s production if the 30-year-old Tonyan makes the main roster.
On the Dec. 4 episode of his “New Heights” podcast, Kelsey admitted that he and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes were struggling to find their longtime chemistrywho has been wreaking havoc in the NFL since 2018.
Travis Kelce’s final performance on the field will silence his critics — at least for a week. After a slow, hotly debated start to the season that saw the 34-year-old Kelsey catch just eight passes for 69 yards through the Kansas City Chiefs’ first three games of the season, the superstar has stepped up (…)
“What makes me proud is when we get in that red zone, man,” Kelsey told his older brother, Jason Kells. “I’m a little hungry. Now, for whatever reason this year, I just can’t find my way into the end zone. I’m just not on the same page with Pat. This can be frustrating. This can be frustrating. That’s pretty damn accurate.’
Earlier in the season, Travis explained how he did it stopped worrying so much about his personal performance for the benefit of the team.
“I stopped caring about stats about four or five years ago,” Travis said on “New Heights” on Sept. 18. “I just went out and started playing for free and playing for my guys. Of course, I think that’s the best mentality. You think about it more on a play-by-play basis and what your job is in that particular game.”
Travis will get a chance to right the ship when the Chiefs travel to Pittsburgh for a Christmas Day showdown against the Steelers, airing at 1pm ET on Netflix.
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