Travis Kelce has become one of the most dominant postseason athletes we’ve ever seen in any sport. And his stats are starting to show why. In the Chiefs’ most recent win over the Texans, he even inched closer to one of the all-time great receivers in most career playoff receiving yards. Naturally, his brother Jason decided to give Travis credit for such an incredible achievement on their podcast.
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Travis currently owns the record for most consecutive playoff games with 70+ receiving yards with 14. The next highest player on the list has seven. This crazy record forced Jason’s hand to shower praise on his little brother:
“In other words, Travis Kelce is f*cking killing the postseason,” Jason said on the latest episode of New Heights.
But Travis seemed unimpressed with the stat. He was probably thinking it was just 70 yards a game, but the fact that he has twice as many as the next guy should highlight how rare it is. The stat that caught Travis’ attention, however, was one that legendary sports anchor Chris Berman shared with him before the game.
“Chris Berman, the Swami himself, he interviewed me before this one… He told me that including my playoff yards, I have over eight miles of receiving yards… That’s pretty cool.”
Jason later shared with Travis that he is right behind Jerry Rice in postseason production. The two are the only receivers to ever register 2000 yards and 20 TDs in the playoffs. It’s a group that Travis said he feels “pretty goddamn cool” about being in. However, he revealed that, now that he’s achieved these statistical goals, he’s still not satisfied with where he’s at.
“You set these goals that you want to meet when you first get into the league… All of the guys you look at the top of the list, you feel like that’s what’s going to make you satisfied. While you’re in it, I’m just not satisfied with what I’m doing. I feel like I have this mentality year in year out to be better than I was the previous day. All these stats and accolades will be cool when I’m done playing… Right now, I’m so focused on beating the Buffalo Bills.”
What Travis is experiencing is called the arrival fallacy in psychology. It’s this concept that describes the illusion that reaching a goal will bring lasting happiness, but instead leaves you feeling less fulfilled than expected. It involves humans falling into an anticipation trap which can diminish satisfaction, while also falling victim to the hedonic adaptation; a phenomenon that describes someone quickly adjusting to positive experiences. Which ultimately makes those experiences less impactful.
While it’s important to not get cocky and keep pushing as an athlete in sports, it’s also important to celebrate when it’s justified. Sure, Travis is focused on beating the Bills. But he shouldn’t fall too far into the arrival fallacy. Extreme cases can lead to depression because of unfulfilled feelings.
Travis’ Playoff Beard
During the banter session, the brotherly duo also talked about Travis’ playoff beard, which he’s grown recently. He normally sports a look with just the mustache. Travis hilariously named the stache “El Travidor”. So, now with a beard, fans are asking for what he is going to name the new facial hair.
Jason thinks the name should be “Red-beard,” but Travis doesn’t think it has a red color tone. Jason then clarified that he associates red with the anger his brother plays with in the playoffs. It was a funny exchange that ended with Jason and the show’s intern, Brandon, agreeing that Travis’ beard is slightly red. Travis begged to differ.
Every good playoff beard needs a name. But it’s not just any beard. It’s one that’s attached to one of the greatest postseason performers we’ve ever seen grace the turf. We’ll see if “Red-beard” sticks or if Travis comes up with his own name by Sunday. But it’s most likely he won’t give it a single thought, as he prepares to face the Bills in the AFC Championship.
