Wouldn't it be the most fitting end to the NFL season if Travis Kelce, who has now become a bit of a celebrity beyond the NFL, all thanks to his pop star singer girlfriend, Taylor Swift, were to finish the season with not just a Super Bowl title, but with the Super Bowl MVP trophy? Swifties would lose their collective minds.
If any fan or pundit had even mentioned this around midseason, they would have probably scoffed at the thought. Coming into the 2023 season, most were beginning to wonder when age would start to affect the veteran tight end. He had put plenty of wear and tear on his body, only missing a handful of games throughout his entire career. Turning 34 in October, all those years looked like they had started to finally show their effects. Granted, some of the subpar play was blamed on his new relationship with Swift, which became a huge media frenzy.
Where most thought that Kelce would have been a cure to the Kansas City Chiefs' receiving woes, he was likewise adding to it. Kelce had six games in 2023 where he graded offensively under 65.0, with a final grade of 78.6 for the season, his lowest since 2015, his second year in the league, according to PFF. His targets, receptions, and yards all fell below his normal standard as well, while scoring just five touchdowns with six drops and one fumble. And all that seemed to get worst as the season progressed.
In his last three regular-season games, Kelce had just 13 receptions for 88 yards, no touchdowns, and three drops. But that all changed in the playoffs. And that's what makes Kelce a favorite to win the Super Bowl MVP should the Chiefs win their second consecutive Lombardi Trophy on Sunday night in Las Vegas.
Travis Kelce has been performing his best in the 2023 NFL playoffs
Against the Miami Dolphins, during a frigidly cold game at Arrowhead, Kelce started to begin his comeback, knowing that getting back to another Super Bowl was on the line. It still wasn't his best game, having two drops, but he did have seven receptions for 71 yards while converting three first downs. But from there, he increased his performance over the next two games, albeit on the road, something unfamiliar to the Chiefs.
Against the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round, Kelce missed just one of his targets for five receptions and 75 yards, but this time had two touchdowns. He also had five first downs during that game.
After upsetting the Bills once again, Kelce and the Chiefs moved onto the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens, to which they weren't given much of a chance against. It was statistically one of the toughest defenses in the league, and yet Kelce had his best game of the season.
Kelce caught all 11 of his targets for 116 yards — his third-highest yardage total of the season — with a touchdown and a whopping six first downs. What doesn't come across on stat sheets is that some of those catches were miraculous, helping the Chiefs extend drives or even scoring.
Travis Kelce is a postseason record-breaker
Playing in 21 postseason games, Kelce was bound to break some records. He currently has 156 catches for 1,810 yards and 19 touchdowns. Against the Ravens in the AFC Championship, he broke Jerry Rice's record for the most postseason receptions. But he has the opportunity to do even more in Super Bowl 58.
Scoring in the conference title game put Kelce one touchdown away from tying, and two from surpassing Rice's 22 playoff receiving touchdowns. Rice is also the only receiver with three touchdown receptions in the Super Bowl, which he did twice. If somehow Kelce were to break another one of Rice's records, he's without a doubt the Super Bowl MVP. Kelce is red-hot right now, so a multi-touchdown game isn't out of the question.
Travis Kelce is Patrick Mahomes' favorite receiver in the Super Bowl
In their three Super Bowl appearances together, it's evident that one of Mahomes' favorite targets, aside from Tyreek Hill, who is now with the Dolphins, is Kelce. In those three games, Kelce was either the most targeted or second in targets, with a total of 27 targets resulting in 26 catches for 257 yards and two touchdowns.
With that being said, Kelce's success contributes directly to Mahomes' success, which doesn't necessarily help the tight end's chances of winning the Super Bowl 58 MVP award. While it's true that the award typically favors quarterbacks over tight ends — a position that has never won the award in 57 previous tries — wouldn't it be, considering all the outside circumstances, even more appropriate for Kelce to be the first and for him to say, “You belong with me”?
Are you ready for it?
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