The Kansas City Chiefs are 3-0 through their first three games, and yet, the national focus has been on Patrick Mahomes’ 4 early-season interceptions and Travis Kelce’s lack of production.
When asked about the latter on Monday, September 23, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid cleared up why he believes Kelce has only 8 catches for 69 yards heading into Week 4.
“Well, I’ve mentioned to you [that] how Rashee [Rice’s] game goes is kind of how Kelce’s goes,” Reid said. “So, what [defenses are] doing is they’re working hard at taking Kelce out of the picture. And Kelce is going, ‘Hey, listen. If they’re going to do that, then Rashee’s going to get a lot of catches.’ He knows that, but somewhere that levels off.”
In other words, the Chiefs offense forces opposing defenses to pick their poison between Kelce and Rice — two masters of the intermediate passing game. According to Reid, they’re currently choosing to double-team Kelce rather than Rice.
Of course, the early by-product of that trend is that Rice has been putting up ridiculous numbers. Through three games, the second-year wide receiver has 24 catches for 288 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Reid doesn’t expect that to continue all season, however.
“Rashee, he’s a force in there. I mean, he’s a good football player and he’s tough when he has the ball in his hands,” he said. “So, I’m sure he’ll be getting a lot more attention as we go.”
You heard it here first, don’t sell those Kelce shares just yet. As teams begin to prioritize the 24-year-old Rice, things should open up more for the future Hall of Fame tight end. And it’s only a matter of time before defenses start switching that game plan.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Echoes Andy Reid on Travis Kelce Struggles
Mahomes shared a similar sentiment on Kelce after the Week 3 victory.
“The respect factor they have for [Kelce] is just unreal,” Mahomes told reporters on September 22. “It’s well-deserved, but I mean, we’re calling a lot of plays for [Kelce] and it’s like two or three [defenders] are going to him.”
Meaning, Kelce’s struggles are more due to a lack of respect for a Kansas City WR corps led by Rice, rookie Xavier Worthy and veterans like Justin Watson, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman. Kelce is still the top priority as of now, although that could change as Reid mentioned above.
“[Kelce] understands,” Mahomes said. “I think that’s the great thing about him. He wants to make an impact on the game, but he wants to win at the end of the day.”
The Chiefs QB ended by promising that he’s going to do his best to get Kelce the ball whenever he’s open but also stressed that right now defenses are “really emphasizing” taking the superstar TE out of the game.
That’s what you’d call a very good problem to have heading into Week 4.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid Takes Responsibility for Patrick Mahomes’ Lack of Rhythm
Mahomes was hard on himself after the Week 3 win over the Atlanta Falcons, but when asked about the quarterback’s early-season issues — and that could be considered an exaggeration in itself — Reid took full responsibility.
“Listen, he’s a phenomenal player. And I thought he just kind of got into a rhythm the second half and a lot of that’s my responsibility, to get him into that rhythm earlier,” he said.
“We’ll go back and discuss all that and get that taken care of,” Reid said.
Clearly, the longtime NFL head coach is unfazed by any sort of narrative that involves Mahomes struggling under center. Which, coincidentally, is right on par with his thoughts about Kelce.
