Travis Kelce 60 Yards Away From All-Time TE Record

Travis Kelce is on the verge of putting his name in the NFL record books. The Kansas City Chiefs’ TE is nearing the single-season record for most receiving yards by a tight end. After adding 68 receiving yards during the Chiefs’ Sunday win over the New Orleans Saints, Kelce now has caught a total of 1,318 yards this season, 59 yards short of the current mark of 1,377 yards set by San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle in 2018.

Five Straight Years With 1,000 Receiving Yards

On the night that the Kansas City Chiefs booked their 6th consecutive playoff appearance, Kelce also became the first tight end in the history of the NFL to catch at least 1,000 yards in five different seasons. Prior to this season, Kelce was tied with Rob Gronkowski, Tony Gonzalez, and Jason Witten with four. With more than enough games to spare, Kelce set himself apart from the group. What’s more impressive is that he’s accomplished the feat during consecutive seasons.

Travis Kelce has his 5th career 1,000-yard receiving season, the most in Chiefs history and most ever by a Tight End.

Kelce has done so in 5 consecutive seasons as well. pic.twitter.com/WlSjVVRHzu

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 7, 2020

Two games later, Kelce has added to his total. His 68 receiving yards on 8 catches last weekend against the New Orleans Saints were his fewest since catching just 31 on October 25th against the Broncos. Still, it was good enough to move him 59 yards closer to Kittle’s two-year-old record.

With his season average of 13.4 yards per catch, Kelce could break the record in his next five catches. With still two games left to play in the Kansas City schedule and an average of 7 catches per game this year, there’s a very good chance that Kelce surpasses Kittle in the record books.

Offensive Player of the Year?

Kelce’s exploits have led his QB and former NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes to say, at least on Twitter, that Kelce is the Offensive Player of the Year. In an interview with ESPN, Mahomes spoke highly of his teammate:

“If you look at history and you look at the seasons tight ends have had, he’s got to have one of the best as far as catching the ball and being a playmaker on offense,” Mahomes said. “That speaks for itself. “It’s truly a special season by a tight end and not just by a tight end but just a player, a game-changer.”

OPOY https://t.co/bj4Sbayeew

— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) December 7, 2020

Mahomes likes to promote his teammates but in this case, he is speaking nothing but the truth about Kelce being this year’s Offensive Player of the Year. His 10 TD grabs are 5th overall in the league while his 98 catches put him 4th overall among all players. Kelce is also currently 6 yards behind wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins of the Arizona Cardinals for the most yards caught by any NFL player this season.

If he beats out Hopkins for the lead at the end of the season, Kelce would become the first tight end to lead the NFL in receiving yards in any season. Online sportsbooks currently have him third in the latest odds board to lead the league in receiving yards at +225. Only Hopkins (+125) and Stefon Diggs (+150) have better odds and both are wide receivers.

GOATE?

There has been plenty of talk about the GOAT conversation in the NFL and while Travis Kelce is nowhere near that list, he deserves to be in a similar conversation. Although his career is far from finished, Travis Kelce has already put himself in the GOATE list or the Greatest of All Tight Ends conversation.

Travis Kelce needs 60 yards for the TE single season record. He’s only gone under 60 twice this season, it’s definitely happening back home on Sunday isn’t it?#GOATE 🐐 pic.twitter.com/61iAJzSg35

— Arrowheads Abroad (@KCChiefs_UK) December 23, 2020

With this season’s production, Kelce became the only tight end in NFL history with multiple 1,300 receiving yard seasons. His current season total of 98 catches is also just five shy of the Kansas City single-season record of 103 which he set in 2018. He is also two catches away from becoming the first NFL TE to have multiple seasons with 100-plus catches. The Pro Bowler has also earned 8-plus catches in each of his last seven games played. That is the longest such streak by a TE since 1950.

Travis Kelce has always been a very productive player for Andy Reid’s Chiefs. However, the 31-year old has reached new heights with Mahomes starting at quarterback. This year, he’s taken his game to another level. On Sunday, he could put another stamp in the NFL’s history books.