Travis Kelce Could Make Playoff History As Soon as This Weekend

Travis Kelce had quite the 2023. The year started off with playoff success and a second Lombardi Trophy, and the hits kept on coming. His relationship with Taylor Swift took over the headlines, and just about everything affiliated with the tight end turned to gold.

That rise to (further) prominence, however, was accompanied by a challenging year on the gridiron. While Kelce’s numbers were more than solid, he and the Chiefs’ offense slumped by their usual standards. That led to speculation that the tight end was distracted (unlikely) or getting old (a bit more likely but ignoring the context of KC’s offense).

The regular season is now a thing of the past, though, and the Chiefs are pushing for more postseason glory. And with that in mind, Kelce can further confirm his NFL greatness by catching up to Jerry Rice in the record book.

Let’s crunch the numbers.

Kelce Can Break Jerry Rice’s Postseason Catch Record
While it’s tough to ever find a consensus in the GOAT debate, there are certain players who can undeniably sit at the table. In terms of NFL receivers, Rice is one of those men.

During his time on the professional gridiron, the wideout set all-time records for total receptions (1,549), receiving yards (22,895) and receiving touchdowns (197). That statistical dominance also extends into the postseason; he set the high-water mark in all three categories (151 catches for 2,245 yards and 22 touchdowns) there, too.

Rice is a living legend for good reason, and those records stand tall over the NFL landscape. If you’re getting anywhere close to them, you’re in rarified air. But Kelce is doing more than simply getting close, he could break one of the postseason records this year.

After KC’s Super Wild Card Weekend victory over the Miami Dolphins, the big tight end is sitting on 140 career postseason catches, leaving him 11 behind Rice. While that would take a big-time performance against the Buffalo Bills, it’s possible that Kelce will make NFL history in the divisional round. Pulling off the upset on the road, after all, will probably require someone on the offensive side of things to step up. And even during a comparatively slow campaign, No. 87 pulled in 12 catches on one occasion and 10 on another; he also had seven during the wild-card round, which was a strong performance when you consider the brutal weather conditions.

And even if he can’t break the record the next time out, Kelce seems like a lock to get there eventually. Whether it’s next weekend or next year, you have to assume he’ll play at least one more postseason game before hanging up his helmet.

In a similar vein, Rice’s other postseason records are attainable, although they’ll take a bit more work.

Ahead of the trip to Buffalo, Kelce is just over 800 yards and six touchdowns behind first place. There’s no guarantee of playoff appearances, but you’d have to think that Patrick Mahomes and Kelce will appear in at least a handful more games before their partnership comes to an end. And while the yardage record might be tough, it’s certainly possible that Kelce could catch seven touchdowns across four or five appearances.

The Records Remind Us That Kelce Is an All-Time Great
So, what can we take from No. 87’s position in relation to Rice’s records? Beyond giving us something else to keep an eye on during the games, the stats do provide an unshakable reminder of just how talented Kelce is.

Beyond the fact that Rice is an all-time great, it can’t be overlooked that he lined up at receiver. Kelce, on the other hand, plays tight end, which comes with other, less-glamorous responsibilities. Even if you want to argue that the Chiefs star essentially functions as a wideout while handling less of the grunt work, he’s still been posting elite numbers.

And while his situation plays a role—if Kelce was playing for bad teams with a revolving door of quarterbacks, he probably wouldn’t even be playing playoff football, let alone chasing records—we can’t minimize what the tight end has done. Not only has he been consistent, but he’s been consistently elite.

No amount of off-field spectacle or eventual decline should overshadow that.