Kansas Metropolis Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is weighing in on teammate Travis Kelce’s uncharacteristic begin to the NFL season.
“Groups nonetheless — I imply, the respect issue they’ve for Travis is simply unreal. It’s well-deserved however, I imply, we’re calling a number of performs for Travis, and it’s like two or three individuals are going to him,” Mahomes, 29, advised reporters on Sunday, September 22. “He understands.”
Mahomes’ feedback got here after the Chiefs beat the Atlanta Falcons 22-17 on Sunday. Regardless of their win, which introduced the Chiefs to 3-0 up to now this season, followers are lacking the magic between Mahomes and Kelce, 34, on the sector. Kelce caught 4 passes for 30 yards on Sunday and has simply eight catches total this season. He has but to attain a landing.
“The wonderful thing about him is he desires to make an impression on the sport, however he desires to win on the finish of the day,” Mahomes continued. “I’m gonna attempt to do my greatest to maintain feeding him the ball every time he’s there, every time he’s open.”
Mahomes emphasised that opposing groups’ defenders are doing their greatest to cowl Kelce, which supplies the prospect for different Chiefs gamers to be open. He additionally spoke candidly about his personal efficiency this season.
“I really feel like I haven’t performed very properly, and that’s not a stats factor,” he admitted. “I simply really feel like I’m lacking alternatives every time they’re on the market and never throwing the ball within the actual spot I would like it to be at. So, it’s about me getting again to my fundamentals, placing our guys in the fitting place, after which we’ve bought to execute at a better stage offensively.”
Patrick Mahomes on Travis Kelce’s low output by way of three video games:
“The respect issue [teams] have for Travis is unreal…we’re calling a number of performs for Travis, and it’s like two or three individuals going to him” pic.twitter.com/jxv7udBiZq
— Landon Reinhardt (@landonian87) September 23, 2024
Followers have been disillusioned with Kelce’s three underwhelming weeks after the record-breaking numbers he put up final yr. The tight finish, nonetheless, seems to be unbothered.
“I ended caring about stats about 4 or 5 years in the past,” Kelce mentioned on his “New Heights” podcast earlier this month. “I simply went on the market and began to play free and play for my guys. Positive sufficient, I feel that’s the higher mentality. You consider it extra play by play and what your job is on that particular play.”
The remark got here after the Chiefs recreation on September 15 towards the Cincinnati Bengals, which was the primary time since September 2018 that Kelce didn’t have three or extra receptions in a recreation. (The Chiefs beat the Bengals 26-25, and Kelce caught one go for a complete of 5 yards.)
“For no matter cause, these previous two video games it hasn’t gone that manner for me,” Kelce continued through the September 18 podcast episode. “That’s soccer, man. I’m not about to sit down right here and get pissed off about it. I used to get actually, actually pissed off and nearly lose my cool a number of the time from not having that success understanding I demand that out of myself. I similar to to play the sport to such a excessive stage of accountability that it’s powerful for me to take care of me being mediocre or having stats that symbolize that.”
Kelce praised his staff’s protection for “enjoying their asses off” throughout every recreation.
“Getting turnovers, discovering a technique to make opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable,” he mentioned. “They’re actually making it onerous for them to throw the ball downfield with the kind of pressures that we’re getting and the way good our protection is true now.”