Travis Kelce, Dee Ford earn Week 13 Chiefs MVP awards

Travis Kelce and Dee Ford played major roles in the Kansas City Chiefs’ ability to earn a close win over the Oakland Raiders in Week 13.

Welcome to the Week 13 edition of our Kansas City Chiefs weekly player awards, where we focus on which players are on the rise and the top performers of the game on both sides of the ball.

The Chiefs squared off against the Oakland Raiders in its first game of the divisional series in what turned out to be a surprising shootout. Despite its offensive struggles throughout the season, the Raiders kept up with the Chiefs and scored four touchdowns, with quarterback Derek Carr having perhaps one of his best performances of the 2018 season.

Player on the Rise: Offense

More from Arrowhead Addict

Wide receiver Chris Conley continues to slowly see his share of targets, despite the fact that fellow wide receiver Sammy Watkins was out with a foot injury. After a slow start to the season, Conley has a career-high 5 touchdowns on the season as he starts to become an end zone favorite for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. With a catch rate of 69.2% on the season, he continues to be a solid option when he’s needed in situations, like when the Chiefs are without Watkins.

3 receptions
7 targets (42% catch rate)
25 receiving yards
1 touchdown

RUNNER-UP: Damien Williams (5 carries, 38 rushing yards; 2 receptions, 2 targets, 7 receiving yards)

Player on the Rise: Defense

Defensive end Allen Bailey hasn’t gotten enough credit throughout the season, despite matching a career-best 6.5 sacks so far this season, with 4 games left to go. Bailey had perhaps one of his best games and continues to improve each week. He’s a very nice compliment to the defense and makes plays when it’s needed. Look for him to continue his success as the Chiefs take on the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14.

7 total tackles (4 solo, 3 assisted)
1 tackle-for-loss
0.5 sacks
1 forced fumble

RUNNER-UP: Kendall Fuller (8 total tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass defended)

Player of the Week: Offense

As the rest of the receiving corps had a rather quiet night, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had the best game of his career against the Raiders. With a career-high in receiving touchdowns on the season and most likely a career-high in receiving yards in the coming weeks, Kelce has found his groove with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Even though he only had a one-catch performance in Week 1, Kelce currently leads all tight ends in receiving yards with 1082 and is the only tight end above 1000 yards. He’s enjoying arguably the best season of his career with Mahomes as his new QB.

12 receptions
13 targets (92% catch rate)
2 touchdowns

RUNNER-UP: Patrick Mahomes (23-for-38, 295 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, 120.0 QBR; 9 rushes, 52 yards)

Player of the Week: Defense

Outside linebacker Dee Ford is having the best season of his career, and the numbers prove it. With 30 solo tackles on the year, Ford has surpassed his career-best of 27, as well as matching his career-high of 10.5 sacks on the season, even though the Chiefs have 4 games left to play. The linebacker did not seem to slow down in the slightest, having one of his best stat lines of the season.

5 total tackles (3 solo, 2 assisted)
6 QB pressures
1.5 sacks
1 tackle-for-loss
1 forced fumble

RUNNER-UP: Chris Jones (4 total tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss, 1 sack)

The Wrap

Although the defense had its struggles, it did its job in holding the Raiders to allow Mahomes to lead his offense to victory. With star safety Eric Berry returning to the field in the coming weeks, the dominance of this defense is (hopefully) imminent. While he won’t be able to turn the defense into the ’85 Bears, he should definitely be able to contribute in several big ways. Berry’s presence on the field alone is huge for the defense, coupled with his leadership.

The offense did not seem to slow down despite being without former Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt, despite some concerns that the lack of his presence would lessen the offensive dominance. Showing no sign of slowing down, Mahomes threw for 4 touchdowns, which gives him 41 on the season. He also became the fastest player to reach 40 career touchdowns, with all 41 of his touchdowns coming this season.

Mahomes needs just 14 touchdowns to match the NFL record of most touchdowns in a single season (55), set previously by the great Peyton Manning. Mahomes would need to average 3.5 touchdowns over the next 4 games to tie the record. With two potential shootouts upcoming, he should have no problem reaching and surpassing the record, which would be more than a huge accomplishment for the young passer. With several solid targets in wide receiver Tyreek Hill, Kelce, and Watkins, Mahomes has a plethora of options who are more than fine with “spreading the wealth.”