The Kansas City Chiefs are playing for pride in Week 18, a sentence that many including myself didn’t expect to be writing. At 6-10, the Chiefs were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention a few weeks ago when they lost to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15.
That was the game when star quarterback and two-time Most Valuable Player Patrick Mahomes tore his left ACL and PCL trying to mount a comeback late in the fourth quarter to keep Kansas City’s slim playoff hopes alive. Even if the team won that game, the odds the Chiefs would have snuck in, especially without Mahomes, were next to none.
Had the Chiefs done the unthinkable and snuck in as the No. 7 seed, star tight end Travis Kelce’s future in the National Football League would still be in question like it is now. Week 18 could be the final time we see Kelce suit up, and he may be doing it without his star QB and best friend.
“The biggest subplot for the Chiefs is the strong possibility that Sunday could be TE Travis Kelce's last game in his illustrious 13-year career,” ESPN’s Nate Taylor wrote Friday. “Kelce is expected to play his usual snaps, and the Chiefs will be eager to get him a touchdown against the rival [Las Vegas] Raiders. ‘Honestly, I've just been trying to win games,’ Kelce said last week about his future. ‘I'll let that be a decision I'll make with my family, friends and the Chiefs organization when the time comes.’”
Kelce goes into this game with the statistics of an all-time great and bona fide first-ballot Hall of Famer. In 190 career games (all with Kansas City), Kelce has caught 1,077 passes on 1,500 targets for 12,990 yards and 82 touchdowns. He leads the Chiefs franchise in receptions and receiving yards, and holds the all-time record for most playoff receptions, yards and touchdowns by a tight end.
The four-time All-Pro has three Super Bowl championships to his name and has been a fan favorite since he got to Kansas City in 2014. The accolades speak for themselves, and his impact extends beyond the football field.
Kelce is 57 yards from passing the legendary Jason Witten in receiving yards, and if this truly is the end of Kelce’s emphatic run, the Chiefs will likely feed Kelce as many times as possible so he can go out on top against his longtime rival Las Vegas Raiders.