Travis Kelce has been the best receiving tight end in the NFL for nearly a decade. But what makes him such an all time great is how well he’s performed in the playoffs. Let’s examine Kelce’s playoff stats and just how impressive the Kansas City Chiefs tight end has been.
Travis Kelce’s Playoff Statistics
It’s difficult to set playoff records in the NFL. Not only does a guy have to be an all-time player, he has to play on a team that consistently makes the playoffs. But even that’s not enough. The team has to make the playoffs and win games, allowing the players to appear in as many matchups as possible.
Kelce has had the fortune of spending his entire career with the Chiefs, and the only head coach he’s known is Andy Reid. That’s a pretty good place to start.
After missing his entire rookie season due to a knee injury, Kelce’s second year, 2014, provided a great start to his career. He certainly wasn’t the player he is now, but he showed signs of being a high-level NFL tight end. Unfortunately, the Chiefs, led by quarterback Alex Smith, were unable to make the playoffs.
That was the last time Kelce ever missed the playoffs.
Since the 2015 season, the Chiefs have made the playoffs every year. They did it three times with Smith as the quarterback and in every year since Patrick Mahomes took over as the starter in 2018.
But it’s one thing to make the playoffs every year. It’s another to almost always play multiple games.
The 2016 and 2017 seasons are the only ones in which Kelce was limited to a single playoff game. The 2015 season was the only year in which Kelce was limited to two playoff games.
In every season over the Mahomes era, the Chiefs have played exactly three playoff games…until now. Super Bowl 58 will mark the first time the Chiefs play four playoff games in a single postseason.
Due to the Chiefs’ repeated success, Kelce has had the privilege of appearing in a whopping 21 playoff games. That’s given him the opportunity to put up some pretty gaudy numbers.
In his 21 games, Kelce has recorded 156 receptions for 1,810 yards and 19 touchdowns. Just two short weeks ago, in the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens, Kelce surpassed the greatest wide receiver of all time, Jerry Rice, for the most receptions in postseason history.
As things currently stand, Kelce still trails Rice by 435 yards for the most of all time in that category. He obviously has no chance of catching Rice this year. However, if Kelce plays another season, given the Chiefs’ history of postseason success, he’s got a great chance of overtaking Rice next year.
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If Kelce plays another two seasons, barring his playing ability completely falling off a cliff, he is almost certain to break Rice’s all-time playoff receiving yards record of 2,245.
Kelce also trails Rice by a mere three postseason receiving touchdowns — that’s another record very much within reach.
With 907 catches for 11,328 yards and 74 touchdowns in his regular season career, Kelce is a lock to eventually be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The question isn’t whether he will hold NFL records at the conclusion of his career, but rather how many.
Kelce has already brought home two Super Bowl championships. On Sunday night, he’ll look to capture his third.
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