Travis Kelce became the Kansas City Chiefs all-time leader in receiving yards (10,941) on Sunday, surpassing the former record held by NFL Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez (10,940).
Kelce, who broke the record during Kansas City’s 21-14 win over the Miami Dolphins in Germany on Sunday morning, was held to just three catches for 14 yards. He didn’t break the record until his final catch of the day, with head coach Andy Reid telling reporters he “didn’t get [Kelce] the ball enough.”
“Elite coverage,” Dolphins’ edge-rusher Bradley Chubb told reporters regarding his team’s ability to bottle up Kelce on Sunday.
There may have been larger factors at play, however:
Very few teams have been able to contain Kelce, either this season or in his career. The eight-time Pro Bowler, four-time first-team All-Pro selection and two-time champion has reeled in 57 catches for 597 yards and four touchdowns this season, remaining one of the NFL’s most dangerous playmakers.
He also sits second all-time in receptions (871) and receiving touchdowns (73) in Chiefs history, trailing Gonzalez (916 catches with the Chiefs, 76 touchdowns) in both categories, though if he remains healthy could set all three major receiving records this season.
Gonzalez played five seasons after his Kansas City career with the Atlanta Falcons and is the all-time leader for tight ends in receptions (1,325) and receiving yards (15,127), while Antonio Gates is the all-time leader in touchdowns (116) among tight ends.
At 34, those records are probably beyond Kelce’s reach. Nonetheless, he will go down as one of the best tight ends in history, one of the best players in Chiefs’ history, period, and will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
On Sunday, however, he seemed more interested in the win, which took the Chiefs to 7-2 on the season. He seemed to attribute much of the win to a defense that held the explosive Dolphins’ offense in check.
“I can probably tell you, halfway through the season, that this is the best defense I’ve ever played with,” he told reporters.
That was enough to help the Chiefs overcome the rare quiet day at the office from Kelce.
