The 2025 regular season was supposed to be one of redemption and vengeance for Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. Instead, the only thing that anyone seems to be talking about through the first month of the campaign is how the star tight end faltered.
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Naturally, in defeats, the mistakes are magnified and critiqued more. So Kelce has faced the ire for the way he shoulder checked Xavier Worthy in Week 1, and quite literally presented the Philadelphia Eagles with the ball in Week 2.
Even though they were finally able to find a win in Week 3, the Chiefs’ performance against the New York Giants, which included a missed touchdown opportunity, was anything but convincing. And Mahomes continues to shoulder the blame, as any QB1 should.
“I got greedy and was trying to throw the ball down the field instead of just getting the football to him earlier,” Mahomes offered his explanation for the touchdown pass Kelce dropped.
And, despite recent struggles, Mahomes has remained adamant about Kelce’s capabilities on the field. “I think he’s done a great job this year at getting open and making stuff happen. For me, it’s just about getting the football to him and giving him more opportunities,” he said.
“As I watch film, he’s getting more open than even the opportunities that I’m giving him. Just trusting him that he’s going to make the plays happen and I’m sure, as the season goes on, he’s going to continue to make big plays,” added Mahomes.
In the first three weeks of the season, Kelce has recorded just 10 catches for 134 receiving yards and one touchdown on 17 total targets. He’s currently on track to finish the season with 759 receiving yards, 57 catches, and six touchdowns, which would be one of the worst regular-season totals of his 12-year career.
At 35 years of age, Kelce is not the explosive tight end that he once was. During the Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, he was routinely the last player to come out of his stance. And even now, he’s seemingly more interested in screaming at Andy Reid on the sidelines than anything else.
Following the announcement of his engagement to Taylor Swift, many assumed that this would be the final season of his career. Should that prove to be the case, then it’s certainly off to a bad start.
Unfortunately, things won’t get any easier for him. The Baltimore Ravens are coming to town this week. Baltimore’s defense limited Kelce to just four targets, three catches, and 34 receiving yards, the last time these two teams squared off.
However, their defense has been soft against tight ends so far this year. Baltimore is currently allowing an average of 72.5 receiving yards per game to opposing TEs. That trend, along with the added quality of Mahomes, could help Kelce land a bounce-back performance in Week 4.
The Ravens are also averaging 32 points per game right now, meaning that Mahomes will likely have to throw early and often to avoid falling to 1-3.
Even if they aren’t able to come away with the win, they should at least be able to provide Kelce with enough volume to help boost his confidence for the remainder of the season.
