Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has been a prolific target for quarterbacks during his career. Going into the AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Kelce was listed as questionable to play with a back injury.
Not only is Travis Kelce playing for the Chiefs Sunday, he's continuing to move up the record books in the postseason receiving yardage category, moving ahead of fellow tight end Rob Gronkowski in the process.
On his first catch of the day, Travis Kelce broke a tie with Rob Gronkowski for 3rd-most career receiving yards in NFL postseason history.
The only names left to pass: Jerry Rice (2,245) and Julian Edelman (1,442). @Chiefs #ChiefsKingdom
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) January 29, 2023
It's an understatement to say this is a remarkable feat, and given Kelce's age (32) and durability through the years, there's reason to believe he could pass Julian Edelman for second all-time in postseason yardage soon.
It also helps to have Patrick Mahomes as the QB throwing the ball to him. Bottom line, more connections between the two are sure to come during playoff action in the future.
Since Kelce was drafted in the third round in the 2013 NFL Draft out of Cincinnati, he has been productive in both the postseason and regular season. Once Mahomes took over as the quarterback in 2018, his targets and receptions climbed. He has had double-digit receptions in every postseason since the partnership with Mahomes, and at least 100 yards in each.
Looking at Kelce's build, it's no wonder he's a favorite target of Mahomes, or any QB. He's 6'5″, 250 pounds, with wide receiver speed in a tight end body. Who wouldn't want to find a player like that as often as possible?
Having said that, it will take a monster effort to catch Jerry Rice for most receiving yardage in postseason history, but at least Kelce can say he's the highest among his tight end fraternity after Sunday.
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