Travis Kelce might break the single-season record for most receiving yards in a season for a tight end again. Hopefully, he holds on to it this time.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been getting a lot of the attention for his imposing start through three games into the 2019 NFL season. Understandably, it has overshadowed another player’s success, which could also result into a league record-setting season for that player.
That player would be Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Kelce currently is fifth in the NFL in receiving yards with 284 yards through the first three weeks. He had 229 yards in the first three games of last season, 55 yards fewer than this season.
Kelce is currently averaging close to 95 receiving yards per game. At this pace, Kelce will finish with more than 1,500 yards, which would shatter the record for most receiving yards in a single-season by a tight end.
You may recall that Kelce broke that record last year after he amassed 1,336 yards. However, in a rare moment, Kelce’s record was taken away in less than an hour as San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle ended his season with 1,377 yards, the most by a tight end in one season in NFL history.
The good news for Kelce is that he currently leads all tight ends in receiving yards. But he does have New York Giants tight end Evan Engram and Oakland Raiders tight end Darren Waller right behind him. Engram is just 7 yards behind Kelce while Waller is not too far back with 17.
The most impressive part about Kelce’s early start is the fact that he has had to share the field with other pass-catchers who have are league-leaders. Although he is fifth in the NFL in receiving yards, he does not lead his team in that category.
Wide receiver Sammy Watkins is second in the league with 311 and wide receiver Demarcus Robinson has 215 yards as he is in the top 30. Watkins had the most receiving yards in Week 1 while Robinson earned the same achievement in Week 2.
When there are a lot of playmakers across the offense, Kelce deserves a lot of credit for still finding ways to show his dominance on the field. Even though it is challenging when other teammates are playing at a high level, Chiefs fans shouldn’t be surprised Kelce has still found a way to thrive. His determination, which has always been noticed in his career, will be key in trying to shatter, and hold on, to the record.