Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce’s slow start to the young season has fans and analysts alike concerned about the tight end’s future in the league.
Kelce finished with four catches for 30 yards in Sunday’s 22-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons, which marked his best stat line through three games this year. It still paled in comparison to what Kelce has consistently produced in seasons prior.
The 12th-year veteran has been shouldering much of the blame for his lackluster performances thus far, with NBC analyst Rodney Harrison even going so far to claim he’s not a “great” player anymore.
Harrison joined the Sunday Night Football crew after the Chiefs’ win and gave his reasoning.
“He’s busy, he’s got a lot on his plate,” Harrison said. “You think about it, he’s doing a lot of different things—media wise, he’s playing football, he’s got other things going on…But when you’re in that situation, you’ve got to forget about everything else, you’ve got to focus 100% on football, and that’s the main responsibility. I mean, guys have been making plays on him, you see Jessie Bates did a heck of a job on him tonight, and he just doesn’t have the same speed. He’s a good player still, but I don’t think he’s a great, great player.”
This is such a bs talking point. Because if you actually paid attention to Trav, he’s 150% locked in on football. Outside of the podcast (that he films on his off day), we do not see him. All of the “stuff” you see him involved with was done during the off season. I’m tired. pic.twitter.com/DOg3ZVJb1P
— 🏈👑 (@TayvisHaze) September 23, 2024
Kelce, who turns 35 in October, is coming off a down season in which he recorded 989 receiving yards, his first sub-1,000 yard campaign since 2015. The three-time Super Bowl champ has eight catches for 69 yards on the year and admittedly hasn’t been making the plays he’s used to making on the field.
On a crucial third down in the fourth quarter, for example, Patrick Mahomes found Kelce on a short yardage pass, one that Kelce normally would have turned into a first down. This time, however, he couldn’t hold onto the ball as Falcons defensive back Jessie Bates came from behind to punch it out.
Here’s hoping the All-Pro tight end gets his confidence back soon.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NBC’s Rodney Harrison Said Travis Kelce No Longer ‘Great’ Player After Chiefs Week 3 Win.
