The Kansas City Chiefs can’t complain about their start to the 2024 NFL season, but Andy Reid still has plenty of work to do. One of the biggest tasks in hand for the head coach is to find a way to get Travis Kelce back to his best.
The 34-year-old got off to a slow start to the campaign with limited targets, receptions, and receiving yards in the opening weeks. But Reid made it clear to Kelce this will not last much longer.
“[Other teams] have some things that they were attempting there,” Reid said, via Arrowhead Pride. “He’ll get his catches. It’s not that he’s slowing down or any of that bit; that’s not what the deal is.”
An instrumental role in the Chiefs’ three Super Bowl wins in the last five years, Kelce’s start to the 2024 NFL season has taken many by surprise. Reid, however, let everyone know that this is only because the opponents have been forcing Patrick Mahomes to look for other targets.
Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs on the field prior to a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on September 15, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri.
“It’s just [that] teams focus on him — and kind of know he’s been Pat’s go-to guy,” Reid said. “What it’s done, though, is it’s allowed us to utilize the other guys around them — and they’ve been productive.”
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Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy echoed Reid’s sentiment on Kelce, making it crystal clear that everyone in the building is happy with the tight end’s work so far. And he also believes Kelce’s numbers will look much better soon.
“Travis has been really good,” Nagy said. “I know: you look at the targets. You look at the numbers. You look at all that stuff with Travis. He knows who he is, We know who he is. When you have that, it’s important to know that — and it’s just a matter of time.”
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Even though he’s known for getting frustrated when things don’t go to plan — like when Kelce yelled at Reid in Super Bowl LVIII — the tight end is taking things calmly. The veteran star wants to improve, but he’s not pointing fingers at others for his stats.
“I put that on me,” Kelce said on a recent episode of the ‘New Heights’ podcast with his brother Jason. “I didn’t play my best, and it spreads if you don’t fix it and I’ve got to get that thing fixed.”
