No NFL game, but especially the Super Bowl, is won with pre-game rhetoric. If the Kansas City Chiefs become the just the ninth team in league history to win back-to-back Vince Lombardi Trophies, though, rest assured Travis Kelce's Saturday speed to his teammates will be remembered much differently in franchise lore.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid reportedly asked Kelce, reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes and First Team All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones to address the team on Super Bowl eve. While Mahomes and Jones were “great,” it was Kelce's speech that truly stood out—not only registering as “unbelievable” and “powerful,” but even bringing some of his teammates to tears, according to Albert Breer of NFL Network.
“Chiefs coach Andy Reid had Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones address the team last night at the hotel. All were great.Kelce particularly so— “Unbelievable” and “powerful”, according to people in the room, to the point where some teammates were moved to tears.”
One anonymous Kansas City coach then described Kelce's speech in the most glowing terms possible.
“Not even close. The best talk/speech I’ve ever heard,” they said, per Breer.
Momentum on Chiefs' side entering Super Bowl 58 clash with 49ers
It's easy to imagine why Kelce's resonated so much with the Chiefs. They were written off top-tier Super Bowl contenders at various points throughout a tumultuous 2023 season, a maddening penchant for drops and other egregious mistakes from the receiving corps costing them multiple wins and contributing to an offense that graded out worst of the Mahomes era.
Kelce wasn't immune from those gaffes, either, with a couple game-altering fumbles in marquee matchups amid a season that began with him missing the opener due to a knee injury. The future Hall-of-Famer clearly wasn't 100% across the 17-game grind, Kansas City's offensive struggles and wear and tear on his 34-year-old body leading to some of the lowest statistical outputs of his career.
Kelce has come up huge during the Chiefs' run to Sin City, though, with 23 catches for 267 yards and three touchdowns—all numbers ranked first or second in the league. He's coming off an especially notable performance in the AFC Championship Game, catching all 11 of his targets for 116 yards while spending much of the game being defended by Baltimore Ravens do-everything safety Kyle Hamilton.
Mahomes, of course, has driven Kansas City's offensive turnaround more than anyone else. He's thrown for 718 yards, four touchdowns and zero picks while completing 68% of his passes in the postseason, playing a blend of highlight-reel and mistake-free football depending on specific circumstances of down-and-distance, time and score that has finally given the Chiefs' quietly dominant defense the support it deserves.
Even worse news for San Francisco entering Super Bowl LVIII? Mahomes has reportedly been “dialed in” to a different degree during practices in Las Vegas.
“The Chiefs will be putting final touches on their preparations today with a walk-through at the Raiders’ facility. They’ll also have final meetings and a team picture. All I keep hearing… Mahomes looks even more dialed in than usual this week. If he plays like he practiced…,” ESPN's Jeff Darlington wrote on Twitter Saturday morning.
The 49ers absolutely have the talent to beat Kansas City. If Mahomes and Kelce play anywhere near their peaks and the Chiefs' defense fares as well against Brock Purdy as it did Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Tua Tagovailoa in the team's first three playoff games, expect Kansas City's dynasty to continue with a historic third Super Bowl win in five years.
Follow Us
Subscribe