Travis Kelce defended by Chiefs’ Reid during slump: ‘Defenders don’t think ‘TOO’ is old’ | News, scores, highlights, stats & rumors

Despite superstar tight end Travis Kelce’s slow start to the 2024 season, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid isn’t worried.

Speaking to The Athletic’s Nate Taylor, Reid suggested the defense is targeting Kelce, which has opened the door for other players to step up, like wide receiver Rashee Rice:

“I know people say he’s old or he’s got distractions, but the defense doesn’t see it that way. We have another receiver (Rice) playing across from (Kelce) who’s got a lot of yards and catches. That’s how it goes. Travis is fine. He’s just Travis. He’s working his butt off and he hasn’t taken a step back. He’s not distracted.”

The Chiefs are off to a 3-0 start, but Kelce is coming off the worst season of his career, aside from his rookie year, when he played in just one game.

Kelce has eight receptions on 12 targets for 69 yards, and has yet to score a touchdown. Meanwhile, Rice leads the NFL in catches with 24, along with 288 yards and two scores.

Kelce has still not produced much in the way of pass catching, but he still ranks second on the team in receptions and third in receiving yards. This shows how little the Chiefs’ wideouts and tight ends have produced as a whole, outside of Rice.

Kelce, who turns 35 on Oct. 5, has reached the 1,000-yard line seven straight seasons from 2016-2022 and has been named a Pro Bowler nine straight seasons.

He fell just short of the 1,000-yard mark last season, though he easily could have done so had he not missed two games. He finished with 93 grabs for 984 yards and five touchdowns.

Still, there were rumors that Kelce may have slipped a bit, as he threw for his fewest touchdowns since 2019 and had the worst yards-per-catch average of his career at 10.6.

Kelce seemed to put an end to such talk during the playoffs, however. In four postseason games, he managed to throw 32 catches for 355 yards and three touchdowns. In all four games, he led the league in passing, and the Chiefs won their second consecutive Super Bowl.

That suggests Kelce is still capable of putting his best foot forward and dominating when necessary, but it hasn’t helped silence narratives that Kelce is past his prime or has become distracted by off-the-court situations, like his relationship with pop star Taylor Swift or his roles in countless commercials and the FX show. Grotesque.

Reid insists that none of this has any bearing on Kelce. If what he says is true, Kelce could have a breakout game at any time.

Kelce’s next chance to break out of his slump comes Sunday when the Chiefs visit the Los Angeles Chargers.