The Kansas City Chiefs showed up on the Las Vegas Raiders‘ turf and emerged from a tough divisional battle with their seventh win in as many games this season. But the 27-20 victory could mean more to the Chiefs than simply writing a new number in the win column.
After struggling for much of the first six weeks, star tight end Travis Kelce finally scored his first touchdown of 2024 against the Raiders — putting an exclamation point on his best game of the season so far. And with Kelce starting to look like himself again, Kansas City‘s championship-winning offense now has a more-familiar feel to it.
Did Mahomes ever lose faith in Kelce?
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been Kelce‘s quarterback since the 2018 season; it is impossible to understand the recent history of the Chiefs franchise without the pair.
It’s also impossible to understand Kansas City’s locker room dynamic without acknowledging Kelce’s selflessness and leadership credentials. That’s why Mahomes never lost faith in his pass-catching tight end, even though the two-time MVP easily could have thrown in the towel and bet on himself while Kelce struggled.
“You ask anyone on the team, they’d want Travis to score a touchdown more than he wants to, that’s just the type of guy he is,” Mahomes said on Sunday. “It was a tight-window throw, he made a big-time catch. He had a good game, but I don’t think he mentioned National Tight End Day a single time.”
It is fitting that Kelce’s breakthrough game took place as the NFL celebrated its tight ends. He made a season-high 10 catches for 90 yards, in addition to his second-quarter touchdown — and without superstar girlfriend Taylor Swift in the stands.
Recent rumors have pointed to an impending marriage proposal from Kelce to Swift — but Kelce has shown a tremendous ability throughout his career to block out the noise and be a “team-first” guy. That’s why he remains integral to the Chiefs’ success, which they hope to punctuate in February with a third consecutive Super Bowl win. After starting 7-0 in 2024, it would ve hard to bet against Kansas City if they get back to the season’s biggest game.
