Travis Kelce
David Eulitt/Getty ImagesTravis Kelce is commenting on the constant criticism surrounding his recent performance on the football field.
“We're finding ways to win football and we're not playing our best football,” the 34-year-old Kansas City Chiefs tight end admitted during the Wednesday, Sept. 25, episode of The “New Heights” podcast“Everyone can clean it.”
While the Chiefs are 3-0 to start the NFL season, fans have focused on Kelce's performance and his lack of scoring. The tight end caught four passes for 30 yards during a game on Sunday, Sept. 22 against the Atlanta Falcons and has just eight total receptions on the season so far. (The Chiefs beat the Falcons 22-17.)
“I think everyone saw my downfall in the fourth quarter, the crucial third down, just trying to do too much before putting the ball in play,” Kelce told his brother and podcast co-host. Jason Kelce of Sunday’s game. “That’s probably the biggest thing for me: making the play in big moments like that.”
Getty Images (3) Travis Kelce is no stranger to generating debate, but it's his performance on the field that's really been getting people talking lately. Kelce, 34, has had a historically slow start to the 2024 season with the Kansas City Chiefs tight end recording just eight receptions for 69 yards and zero touchdowns on the season. […]
Kelce said he's “not really getting a lot of opportunities to make plays down the field” because of other teams' defenses.
“I’m not using it as an excuse. Going forward, I’ll continue to try to make sure I can help the team in that regard, knowing that I’ve been that weapon for us in the past,” he continued. “Going forward, it’s just about everyone adjusting their game in the right direction. We know what we need to do to improve this week.”
After Sunday's game against the Falcons, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes He spoke to reporters about Kelce's play and also referenced opposing teams' defenders.
Travis Kelce
David Eulitt/Getty Images“The respect they have for Travis is just incredible,” Mahomes said, noting that it’s harder to give the ball to Kelce. “It’s well-deserved, but, I mean, we’re calling a lot of plays for Travis, and it’s like two or three people are going after him.”
He added: “I'm going to try to do my best to keep passing the ball to him when he's there, when he's open.”
Kelce told Jason during Wednesday’s podcast that he doesn’t let himself get “caught up” with all the online chatter.
“I just want to have a successful offense and I think Pat is doing a great job of finding open players and making the right decisions right now,” he continued. “It’s a new offense, new players, new pieces. We’re just finding a way to be successful throughout the season.”
From actors to musicians to comedians, there are certainly plenty of famous faces who are loyal fans of the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have a long legacy as a winning football team. They took home three league championships in 1962, 1966 and 1969 before winning their first Super Bowl in 1970. The team […]
Kelce is no stranger to the “ups and downs” of offense.
“We just want to make sure we fix all the mistakes and communicate so everyone understands exactly where we're headed in the future,” he said.
The athlete also reiterated that he is not focused on his stats. (Kelce said he “stopped worrying” about numbers on a previous episode of “New Heights.”)
“I’ve had a lot of catches in this league,” he said. “I don’t worry about catches or yards or anything like that. I have more fun when they throw the ball to me.”
The Chiefs will play the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, September 29.