Several weeks before the Kansas City Chiefs punched their ticket to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in six seasons, there was concern over tight end Travis Kelce.
With the No. 3 seed already a lock, Kansas City rested several key starters during the regular season finale, including Kelce. However, the All-Pro was 16 yards away from notching his eighth consecutive season with over 1,000 yards.
Many assumed it was Chiefs head coach Andy Reid who made the final decision for Kelce to rest. Not wanting to risk the superstar getting injured ahead of the playoffs was understandable. However, Reid later revealed that sitting out was Kelce’s decision.
Fans were immediately concerned that the 34-year-old was preparing to retire, however, Kelce shut down that narrative. “I have no reason to stop playing football. Man, I love it,” told reporters on January 11.
While his production tapered off in the back half of the season, Kelce entered the playoffs having not scored a touchdown since Week 10, he’s come alive in the playoffs. Kelce’s dominant performance is a huge reason why the Chiefs are heading to the 2024 Super Bowl. Was taking that one week of rest the best thing Kelce ever did for himself and the team? Numerous fans and analysts came to this conclusion.
Speaking to reporters after defeating the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 in the AFC Championship game, Reid confirmed as such. That rest helped him both mentally and physically.
I don’t know about you but I could not care less that Kelce’s 1000 yard streak ended. No one needed a week of rest more than him and boy has it showed.
— Chase Snyder (@ChasingSnyder) January 29, 2024
The fact that Travis Kelce and the Chiefs agreed to have him rest Week 18 tells me one thing…
They're going to do everything they can to get back to running the offense through him again for as long as their postseason run goes. pic.twitter.com/EudZz3F5D1
— 🗣🎙‼️ (@LanceTHESPOKEN) January 9, 2024
“Travis is always fired up. But with the playoffs, he’s even more so,” Reid said. “I never worry about him being ready to go. He’s always right there… Just secured the feeling we’re going to go get this thing no matter what… I appreciate his attitude always.
“And I think that week off helped him. For him to be able to get a little bit of rest and get in there and go.”
The Chiefs have some downtime before heading to Las Vegas for the big game on February 11. Arrowhead Report’s Zack Eisen posted on X, “Kelce gets another week of rest? He might go for 200 and 3 tuds in two weeks.”
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce Broke 2 NFL Records During the Playoffs
During the first half against the Ravens, Kelce broke Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s NFL record by catching the most receptions (152) in postseason history. Kelce entered halftime catching 9-of-9 targets for 96 yards and a touchdown.
Congrats to Travis Kelce for officially breaking the great Jerry Rice's record for playoff receptions! pic.twitter.com/bo4q9leXaS
— BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ (@mmpadellan) January 28, 2024
He finished against Baltimore hauling in 11-of-11 targets for 116 yards and a touchdown. Kelce will look to extend that record against the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl.
This wasn’t the first NFL record Kelce broke this postseason. After going seven straight games without a touchdown, he scored twice during the Chiefs 27-24 win over the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional round. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Kelce now have the most postseason touchdowns (17) by a QB-receiver duo (and counting).
Travis Kelce & Patrick Mahomes now hold the record for most postseason TDs by a duo in NFL history 🏆
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/G1BKbNHwcY
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 22, 2024
During the Chiefs’ 26-7 win against the Miami Dolphins Wild Card round, Kelce recorded 7 receptions for 71 yards. He tallied 5 catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional round.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Tried to ‘Force’ Travis Kelce to Play in Week 18
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce
GettyChiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce at Gillette Stadium on December 17, 2023.
As Reid mentioned before the playoffs started, the entire team wanted to see Kelce extend his streak. Mahomes told 610 Sports Radio on January 9 that they even designed a game plan for Kelce to enter the game with minimal risk. But Kelce didn’t feel right risking an injury for a personal stat.
“That speaks to the type of teammate that he is,” Mahomes said. “In all honesty, I was trying to force him to play… I was trying to force him all the way up until game time and then he said ‘No, that’s not who I am. I don’t want to play for those reasons, I want to get myself healthy and ready for the playoffs.’
Just in case Kelce changed his mind, the Chiefs were ready. “We got some plays that we could get him open where he could stay away from contact and kind of get him into spots where he can catch the ball and get down and everything like that,” Mahomes said.
“But that’s just the type of guy he is, man. He’s not going to go out there and play for those reasons, he wanted those guys to go out there with the mission of winning the football game, which they did.”
Now, Mahomes and Co. have the chance to win it all in back-to-back seasons. Reid told reporters on Monday, January 29 that players have Tuesday and Wednesday off. The practice week for the Super Bowl starts Thursday.
