The Kansas City Chiefs have already beaten tough opponents early in the 2024 NFL season, but an even bigger challenge is upon Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. On Sunday, the defending Super Bowl champions will have to defend their unbeaten streak against Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills on the road.
Speaking with his brother Jason on their “New Heights” podcast, the Chiefs tight end showed nothing but praise for Allen, who’s 3-1 against Kansas City in regular season games.
On top of that, Kelce knows that the Bills quarterback has been on fire in the 2024 NFL season. Therefore, the 35-year-old warned Mahomes and his teammates that the offense must find ways to score on Sunday, promising to bring his A-game to help with that task.
“I think Josh is taking it up another level too, man,” Kelce said, via Sports Illustrated. “I think he’s doing an unbelievable job of taking care of the ball. Mixing in when he’s to be the bulldozer that he is and then mixing up when he wants to run around guys. He’s playing great football. When you get a juggernaut like him on the offensive side, you’ve got to put up points. Now more than ever, we are going to need to score touchdowns. I’m going to be locked in this week to try to make sure I’m accountable for my guys.”
Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates after scoring a 22 yard touchdown against the Buffalo Bills during the second quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Highmark Stadium on January 21, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York.
After a rocky start in the opening weeks of the 2024 NFL season, Kelce finally seemed to rediscover his true form as the year advanced. His slow stats gave plenty to talk about at the beginning, until a Week 4 performance saw the tight end take off.
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Travis Kelce’s rise with the Chiefs in 2024 NFL season
After recording less than 40 yards with less than five catches in each of the first three weeks, Kelce had a breakout game with seven catches for 89 yards in the Chiefs‘ 17-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
That performance was followed with a great outing against the New Orleans Saints, helping Kansas City get the Monday Night Football win with nine receptions for 70 yards. Kelce had a slow day against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7, but bounced back with strong production on Mahomes‘ offense.
The veteran tight end scored his first touchdown of the 2024 NFL season in the Chiefs’ Week 8 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, against whom he racked up 10 catches for 90 yards. Next week, Kelce recorded season-high numbers with 14 catches for 100 yards in the overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Last time out, the 3x Super Bowl champion scored his second touchdown of the year in a game where he caught eight passes from Mahomes for 64 yards. Needless to say, the Chiefs hope Kelce has another big day to beat Allen’s Bills in Buffalo on Sunday.
Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on prior to the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 22, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Mahomes echoes Kelce’s thoughts on Allen, Bills
While Kelce’s comments may remind his teammates about the importance of Sunday’s game, Mahomes is well aware of how threatening Allen’s Bills are. Speaking to the media this week, the Chiefs quarterback made it clear how highly he thinks ot Buffalo’s star quarterback.
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“I mean, you’re playing the best. The best of the best,” Mahomes said about Allen. “That’s what you want in this league. I’ve been able to go up against Josh a multitude of times and every single game it seems like it comes down to the very end. He is a guy that competes and has that fire. I think you can see that fire that he plays with and that kind of goes through his entire team.”
