The regular season is only two weeks old and the Kansas City Chiefs are still undefeated, while they can count on support from several players on offense.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes spoke to reporters after Sunday’s win and discussed Travis Kelce’s lack of performance due to defensive strategies in the first two games.
“They do a great job of having two guys on him the whole game,” Mahomes said. “That’s why you saw guys like Rashee (Rice) and (Xavier) Worthy – I mean, if you look at the first touchdown, I actually see Trav (Travis Kelce), and the backside safety goes all the way down the field to cover Travis, and then you throw the ball down the sideline to Rashee, and that’s kind of what
what they did.”
Kelce caught just one pass for five yards on Sunday and faced constant double coverage and attacks from multiple defenders. In the first half, Mahomes was intercepted while trying to target Kelce, who is still heavily projected by defensive coordinators after two games.
“We obviously played two opponents we’ve played a lot of times, so they have a plan for how they’re going to evaluate Travis,” Mahomes said. “As the season goes on, he’s going to make his catches, he’s going to make his yards. The leader that he is — the special thing is that he cheers everybody on, keeps everybody motivated, and that’s what you need from your great players.”
Kelce has caught four balls for 39 yards in two weeks, which is well below his usual output over the years. As the season progresses, head coach Andy Reid will likely come up with unique ways to give the Pro Bowler more opportunities.
