Chiefs vs. Raiders: Travis Kelce puts on a clinic against Oakland
By Matt Conner
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had a performance of a lifetime in an important emotional win over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.
Travis Kelce came up big when his teammates needed him the most.
The Kansas City Chiefs needed a boost on Sunday as they suited up against the Oakland Raiders. Typically a game between a 9-2 team in first place and a 2-9 team in last place fails to generate much interest at all, but the Chiefs had endured a bit of a whirlwind over the weekend—a demoralizing 48 hours that culminated in the release of star running back Kareem Hunt.
After the Chiefs 40-33 win over the Raiders, a road win that was far too close for comfort, Kelce spoke to Mitch Holthus about the weekend and the ensuing victory.
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Kelce definitely made plays on a day in which his team needed him. Not only was Hunt not around, but the team was also missing Sammy Watkins on offense as he continues to nurture a foot injury. Yet a league-leading offense that was missing two of its four best weapons for Patrick Mahomes still put up 40 total points and nearly 500 yards of offense, largely thanks to Kelce’s efforts in the passing game.
Kelce became just the second tight end to ever have three consecutive seasons of more than 1,000 receiving yards on Sunday—with four full games to go in the regular season. Greg Olson of the Carolina Panthers was the first tight end to ever do so.
He crossed the 1,000-yard mark with a career-best performance in catches (12), receiving yards (168) and matched his highest touchdown total ever (2). Kelce’s previous high came two years ago against the Denver Broncos when he caught 11 passes for 160 yards and 1 touchdown.
Kelce now had 79 catches for 1,082 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns on the year—giving him a career-high in touchdowns on the season as well. More than the stat sheet, however, it was a brave performance from a dependable superstar who helped put the team on his shoulders to eke out an emotional win.