3 truths and 2 lies from Chiefs win over Jaguars
By Matt Conner
Truth: Travis Kelce is as important as ever
Just in case anyone doubted whether or not the Chiefs offense had a 1 and 1A approach when it comes to the importance of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, you have at least one game of evidence as proof that the Chiefs aren't even remotely ready to move on from the Travis Kelce era.
What's likely true here is that the one-two stomach punch of losing Tyreek Hill last year and then Kelce to open this one is what really hurt the most, but at least Kelce proved capable of keeping the offensive chains moving without the Cheetah last year when fully healthy. In fact, the Chiefs won another Lombardi in the process. Without Kelce as the other long-trusted pass-catcher on the offense, however, the Chiefs offense was a total mess.
On Sunday, however, Kelce was back on the field and Mahomes knew where to go when he needed someone to lean on. Kelce caught only 4 passes for 26 yards in terms of official stats, but a couple of big grabs were called back on penalties and one of those catches was a touchdown—a rare occurrence on the day against Jacksonville's solid defense. Even more important was the number of times that Kelce adjusted his route and/or found the open spaces in zones knowing Mahomes would find him there. This rare feel for the game only comes with high on-field IQ, strong instincts, and lots of experience.
On a day where the offense continued to sputter, the unit would have likely looked completely lost on the day without Kelce to go to. For now, he's the only one Mahomes clearly trusts to get completely open (and he's also the only one who shows himself able to do so). Until others fall in line with enough experience, Kel