Travis Kelce didn't get into the end zone last weekend against the Carolina Panthers. He has one touchdown in the previous three games.
But other figures illustrate how much of a dominant force Kelce has been in recent games.
In consecutive Chiefs victories over the Jets and Panthers, Kelce caught a total of 22 passes for 268 yards. His 44-yard reception early in the third quarter against Carolina led to a go-ahead touchdown and the Chiefs didn't trail after that in a 33-31 triumph.
The Chiefs (8-1) don't play this weekend and are scheduled to return to action on Nov. 22 at the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday Night Football.
The pause provides an opportunity to consider just how impactful Kelce has been this season. He's on pace to hit 103 receptions and 1,370 yards, which would make 2020 the most productive of a career that's already amassed two All-Pro and five Pro Bowl selections, not to mention a Super Bowl ring.
There's more. Kelce ranks second among all pass catchers and first by a large margin among tight ends with 359 yards after catch. Only wide receivers Stefon Diggs and D.K. Metcalf have more total receiving yards than Kelce's 769. His six touchdowns are one more than he logged last season.
Eight of his 10 receptions against the Panthers went for first downs, and Kelce leads the NFL with 42 first-down receptions.
Kelce is edging closer to team records held by Tony Gonzalez, a first-ballot Hall of Famer who set the tight end standard for the Chiefs.
On the Fox NFL Kickoff show last week before the Chiefs broadcast, Gonzalez, now an analyst, interviewed Kelce, who said he uses Tony G. as a model.
"You're the greatest at this position and a model of consistency that I try, and you know, chase every single day," Kelce told Gonzalez.
All of this for a player who turned 31 last month.
"He's still fired up at 30 plus here and wants to be better every day," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "I mean he tells me every day, 'I'm just going to work to get better.' You get enough kinds of those guys, and we're lucky to have some, good things normally happen."
Kelce's athleticism is extraordinary for a player his size — 6-foot-5, 260 pounds — and his position. He's never been considered an overpowering blocking tight end, but he gets the job done. The route running and receiving skills separate Kelce from most peers, and he offered some insight into that skill after the Carolina game.
"The biggest thing, in terms of route running for me, is know what defense they're in," Kelce said. "Once you know the coverage you can start manipulating the defense ... Putting my foot in the ground and getting a big body to change direction, I think that's huge. I don't think a lot of tight ends incorporate that enough."
Playing hockey and basketball as a youth helped develop that agility, Kelce said, but there's another factor at work here. The quarterback.
The Patrick Mahomes-Kelce connection has been dynamic for Mahomes' two-plus years as a starter and all the more amazing after this revelation on Sunday.
"Coming to this offense, and I have never played with a tight end before, and then to get the best tight end in the league, it's special," Mahomes said. "I'll always have a guy that I know where he's at and that he's going to continue to work."
The talents of Mahomes and Kelce with the imagination of Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, the speed and improving route running of Tyreek Hill ("My game went to a whole other level when he got here," Kelce said), and the depth with players like Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman, Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle have produced an attack so feared a team like Carolina pulled out all the stops.
The Panthers gambled on fourth-down attempts, onside kicks, a fake punt — and most of it succeeded. But it wasn't enough to overcome a Chiefs team that believes it's on track for a successful Super Bowl repeat.
"We're confident we can win any game we go into," Kelce said.
