Travis Kelce seized history and playoff GOAT status Sunday
Kelce passed Jerry Rice (!!!) in the record books and solidified his status as one of the best pass catchers to ever live.
It would be dull to write about Travis Kelce two weeks in a row… if he weren’t Travis Kelce.
Fortunately for me, for you, and for the Chiefs, he is indeed Travis Kelce.
I have written about Kelce here (and before that, at The Athletic, and before that, at SB Nation) so many times I’ve lost count. I’ve talked about how he plays the game like a jazz freestyler in a sport that operates more like a symphony. I’ve discussed his statistical dominance that is so far beyond what other tight ends have done that it’s not worth comparing his production to theirs. Last week, I wrote about how his gravity allows him to affect defenses even on plays where he doesn’t get targeted.
Today, we need to talk about Kelce again. Because what he did Sunday shouldn’t be overlooked. You might think I’m talking about the fact that he caught all 11 of his targets for 116 yards and a TD, a feat that Next Gen Stats says has a likelihood of 0.6% of occurring (there’s a never tell me the odds joke here somewhere). Or maybe you think that I’m talking about him making a number of back-breaking, mind-numbing plays that defied the odds of a 34-year-old tight end playing in late January. But I’m not talking about any of those things.
Instead, I’m talking about Travis Kelce literally making history, breaking Jerry Rice’s record for receptions in the playoffs (Rice was at 151, Kelce is now at 156). Kelce also, in the meantime, tied Rice’s record for hundred-yard games in the playoffs.
It is almost impossible to overstate the enormity of this accomplishment. And so it’s only right that I talk about Travis Kelce, at age 34, being an unstoppable force of nature and making a case for being one of the greatest pass catchers (not just tight end) to ever live… and certainly one of the most clutch. This time, let’s look at the details he’s mastered that allow him to keep winning against players he has no business beating.
In other words, let’s talk about Travis Kelce being one of a kind. Because there’s never been anyone like him.