The Travis Kelce vs George Kittle debates are officially over

Kansas City Chiefs fans are pretty used to other fanbases making arguments for anyone else other than Travis Kelce as the NFL's best tight end. Patriots fans will always say Rob Gronkowski is the greatest tight end of all time, Baltimore Ravens fans think Mark Andrews is better than Kelce, and San Francisco 49ers fans certainly tend to think George Kittle is the best tight end in the NFL.

Regardless, Travis Kelce's track record both in the regular season and the playoffs puts him above just about every other tight end to play the game. While Kelce seemingly lost a step as the offense struggled throughout most of the season, he was still the leading receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs and led all tight ends in receptions. Many were focused on the fact that Kelce's incredible 7-year 1,000-yard receiving streak came to an end, but he still had a season that would've been most other tight end's best season.

That said, Kelce sat out that week 17 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, sacrificing a historic run of 1,000-yard seasons to rest and give us yet another incredible postseason. A postseason that once again showed us why nobody comes close to Travis Kelce.

George Kittle still doesn't come close to Travis Kelce.

With the Kansas City Chiefs facing off against the San Francisco 49ers for the second time in the last four Super Bowls, the debate once again started about which tight end was better between Travis Kelce and George Kittle.

Statistically, George Kittle did have a better regular season than Travis Kelce with more receiving yards and touchdowns, but people aren't going to remember that ultimately. What gets you remembered is the playoff performance and what just happened in Super Bowl LVIII.

Kelce had endured a lot this season—injuries, frustrating play, and apparent exhaustion from carrying the load for the offense. However, when he took week 17 off before the playoffs to get his body right, it propelled him to put up 23 catches for 262 yards and 3 TDs through the first three rounds of the playoffs. He was instrumental in the AFC Championship and getting Kansas City to the Super Bowl, meanwhile Kittle wasn't nearly as impressive across that San Francisco 49er's run to the Super Bowl.

In Super Bowl LIV, Kelce came alive late along with the rest of the team and he ultimately outplayed Kittle on the highest stage en route to a 31-20 victory. Fast forward four Super Bowls later, and the story hasn't changed. Kelce only had 1 catch in the first half and his night looked like it was going to be defined by a shot of him intentionally bumping into head coach Andy Reid in frustration. Kelce wasn't going to let things end that way. He stepped up in the second half and especially the fourth quarter. He ended the game with 9 catches for 93 yards.

George Kittle? He had a measly 3 catches for 4 yards. That's it. A no-show in the biggest game of his life. Four years ago, when the 49ers lost in Super Bowl LIV, Kittle declared he would be back with a vengeance. Unfortunately for Kittle, history ended up repeating itself. He did virtually nothing in a Super Bowl loss to Kansas City.

These are the games that need to be remembered when debating Kelce versus Kittle. Kelce versus any tight end for that matter. People will try to downplay the impact of Travis Kelce by pointing out that Kittle is a good blocker. We get it. He's a good blocker. He's a good tight end. So is Travis Kelce. Kelce can block, he just doesn't block as often because the Chiefs don't ask him to; therefore, he isn't known for it.

What Kelce does is more impactful to winning. His receiving ability and the attention he draws to the defense are worth more than any blocks George Kittle had last night. He is by far the best tight end in the game and has shown us over and over again when head to head against his peers and on the highest stage. Once again, George Kittle doesn't come close to Travis Kelce.