Patrick Mahomes’ confidence in Travis Kelce dialing in during the playoffs has led to a bold and challenging statement about the tight end.
Hunting for their third straight Super Bowl title, the Kansas City Chiefs will begin their playoff journey against the Houston Texans on Saturday.
Although Kelce did not have the best regular season, the other half of the Chiefs’ dynamic duo anticipates him to ‘step up’ in the postseason.
‘The greats, they step up in the playoffs, and it’s just higher intensity,’ Mahomes said during a press conference on Tuesday.
He continued, ‘The best players and the best leaders step up and make the best plays, and he’s done that, so I expect the same from him going into this playoffs.’
In his tenth year with Kansas City, Kelce’s numbers have fallen significantly from previous campaigns. While he’s tallied 97 receptions, four more than last year, the tight end is seeing career-low yards (823) and touchdowns (3).
Patrick Mahomes is expecting Travis Kelce to ‘step up’ as they prepare to face the Texans
Kelce saw a significant dip in numbers this season after helping the Chiefs to a title last year
Your browser does not support iframes.
When asked about Kelce’s mentality going into the playoffs, Mahomes shared how the tight end ‘resonates with the entire team’ and ‘gets everybody to play their best football.’
‘And that’s what it takes in order to win championships,’ Mahomes added of Kelce’s winning mentality.
The Chiefs hope for a repeat of Kelce’s postseason form last year when he tallied two touchdowns against Buffalo in the divisional playoffs and another against Baltimore in the AFC title game.
While Kelce has not been the best version of himself, Mahomes’ title-winning form has continued with 392 completions for 581 attempts. He also threw for 3,928 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Kansas City had a near-perfect season with a 15-2 record atop the AFC West. Their only losses came against Buffalo and Denver.
The reigning champions are coming fresh off a bye week as they gear up to face the Texans who upset the Chargers, 32-12, in a wild card defensive masterclass.
