Heading into Sunday’s matchup against the Miami Dolphins, the Kansas City Chiefs find themselves in a somewhat unfamiliar position, lacking the offensive prowess they’ve displayed in past seasons. However, star tight end Travis Kelce is quick to dispel the notion that this dip in performance can be attributed to deficiencies among their wide receivers.
Speaking on Friday after the Chiefs’ arrival in Frankfurt, Kelce asserted, “This team has every piece that it needs to be great. Everybody can talk about whatever they want to talk about… I know that we’ve got a team that can put points up, and I know we’ve got the coaches to be able to put us in the great positions to succeed, and that’s where we’re moving going forward, and it just takes guys to lock in and just be ready for those big-time moments when we need them most.”
Despite being 6-2, the Chiefs are averaging roughly seven points less per game compared to last season through their first eight games. In their recent faceoff with the Denver Broncos, the Chiefs were held without a touchdown for the third time since Patrick Mahomes took over as the starting quarterback in 2018.
Criticism has been directed at Kansas City’s wide receivers for their lack of production. Notably, the Chiefs lead the NFL in dropped passes, with 19 of them credited to their wide receivers. These drops proved costly in key moments against the Broncos, including a missed catch in the end zone by Skyy Moore during the fourth quarter.
Kelce pointed out, “If you watch that game, there’s a lot of turnovers, and the statistics for when you turn the ball over, they’re not very high on winning.” The Chiefs committed five turnovers. “So the biggest thing for us is being able to control those turnovers, being able to control the dropped passes. There’s a few missed assignments, and I take accountability in all this, and I think everybody in that locker room on the offensive side has taken that same approach this week.”
The Chiefs arrived in Germany later than the Dolphins, who had come earlier in the week. However, Kelce expressed confidence in his team’s ability to address their issues, saying, “There’s been a lot of talk about us coming out here later and maybe not having that time to acclimate and everything, and I’ll be the one to say that we got a team that we’re ready to roll. Anytime, anywhere, whether it’s in the parking lot, whether it’s on some nice grass or a mud field, we don’t care. It is all mental for us, and we’re ready to rock and roll.”
Kelce did admit to playing better when pop sensation Taylor Swift is in attendance at Chiefs games. When she’s present, he averages nine catches for 108 yards, but when she’s not, it drops to five catches for 50 yards. However, he downplayed the connection, calling it a “bit of a coincidence,” and remained tight-lipped about whether she would be in Frankfurt on Sunday. He humorously noted, “I don’t want to mess with any of that stuff, so I’m just going to keep it to myself.”
