It hasn't exactly been a banner year for the Kansas City Chiefs. Well, it's not over yet. Until the clock strikes zero on their 2025 campaign, nobody can truly count out this Chiefs squad in what is still a wide-open AFC, despite their eye-sore of a 5-5 record.
While young pass-catchers like Rashee Rice are starring and Xavier Worthy is coming into his own, it is still tight end Travis Kelce who is spearheading Kansas City's top-5 passing attack. The 36-year-old veteran has turned back the clock a tick or two this year after a few relatively down campaigns.
Kelce is on pace for almost 1,100 receiving yards this season, which would be his most since 2022, and he's already eclipsed his receiving touchdowns number from last season in just 10 games. While this is occurring, however, the NFL is going through a bit of a tight end crisis.
Injuries to young TEs put Travis Kelce's dominance in perspective
On Friday, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell announced that tight end Sam LaPorta underwent a back procedure and is unlikely to return this season. This comes on the heels of Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft tearing his ACL late last month.
Not to mention, Las Vegas Raiders star Brock Bowers missed several games earlier this season after being hampered by a knee injury for the first few weeks of the year. Dalton Kincaid has also been banged up for the Buffalo Bills as of late.
But while the tight end position is dealing with injuries to significant players around the league, Kelce is quietly putting together another great campaign for the Chiefs. This truly puts his dominance into perspective, as he is still a major factor at his ripe old age.
RELATED: Chiefs backfield is so bad it’s making NFL history for all the wrong reasons
After practically redshirting his first NFL season, Kelce has missed a maximum of two games in a single campaign. In fact, he's only missed six regular season games in his entire career since becoming a full-time contributor in 2014, which is simply remarkable.
Not only has Kelce been doing what he's been doing this season, but he's done it in good health for his 12th straight season now. He may very well be on his way to his 11th straight Pro Bowl, and although he's unlikely to make an All-Pro team, his EPA is the second-highest among NFL tight ends.
The new wave of players at the position is a bit more wide receiver-like and a little less focused on blocking than Kelce has been in his career. Still, Kelce has dominated on a weekly basis for over a decade, proving that, although his skill set is incredible, his best ability has always been availability.