At 35, Travis Kelce isn't quite the same weapon in the passing game week-in and week-out that he was during the peak of his career. However, he remains the beating heart of the dynastic Kansas City Chiefs.
Kelce had just two catches for 19 yards in Sunday's 32–29 AFC championship win vs. the Buffalo Bills, but made a serious impact outside of his role as a pass catcher. Kelce threw a key block on Patrick Mahomes's late touchdown run, and even served up some inspiration for second-year wide receiver Nikko Remigio ahead of a huge punt return that helped set up a second-quarter Chiefs touchdown.
After Remigio called for a fair catch despite having some room to run early in the game, Kelce made sure he knew that Kansas City needed more from him against Buffalo.
"Trav had came up to me earlier in the game, and I had fair caught that first punt coming out the gates, and he was like, 'That's not being great, bro,'" Remigio told Kay Adams on Wednesday. "So I knew going into this next opportunity that I had that I had to make something happen. So I went and took a peak down the field and saw that the guys were—it was going to be tight and it was going to be a quick play, and you know, just made it happen."
#Chiefs WR @nikkoremigio on what Travis Kelce told him after he fair caught the first punt of the AFC Championship game 👀🔊
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) January 29, 2025
"That's not being great bro..."
Remigio took the next punt for 41 yards 😏@tkelce @heykayadams @chiefs | #chiefskingdom pic.twitter.com/JKbz0C5CGT
Remigio took his second return attempt 41 yards, handing the ball to Mahomes and the offense at the Bills' 34-yard line. Six plays later, Mahomes punched in a touchdown from one yard out, the first of his two rushing touchdowns in the game, to make the score 21–10.
Naturally, Kelce made sure to give Remigio some love for his big play.
"He was the first one to greet me coming to the sideline, and he was like, 'That's how you be great, dog!' And I was like, this is a dream."
The Chiefs will play for a third consecutive Super Bowl championship against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Feb. 9.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Travis Kelce Helped Light a Fire Under Chiefs Returner Ahead of Key Play vs. Bills.
