Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

New Eagles safety could be Travis Kelce's Kryptonite

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 11/20/23

Hit hard by injuries throughout their secondary, the Eagles’ trade for former Titans safety Kevin Byard made sense. With Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs up next, the move could look even better.

In eight years with Tennessee, Byard played the Chiefs six times with the Titans enjoying a 4-2 record against Kansas City. He had 33 tackles and a forced fumble in those games, with 12 of those tackles coming last year in what was easily his best game of 2022.

Thanks to 106 receiving yards from Kelce, Tennessee lost the game 20-17 in overtime, but the All-Pro tight end has struggled in his career against Byard. In 2021, the former All-Pro helped hold Kelce to seven catches for 65 yards. In 2019’s AFC Championship Game, Kelce had three catches for 30 yards.

Eagles S Kevin Byard has been highly effective against Travis Kelce in previous matchups.

Byard has held Kelce to 3 catches on 8 targets for 37 yards as the nearest defender since 2016, per Next Gen stats. pic.twitter.com/xmwDQbRB0g
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) November 20, 2023

In fact, according to ESPN’s Tim McManus, Byard has held Kelce to three catches on eight targets for 37 yards as the nearest defender since 2016, per Next Gen stats. That number bodes well for the Eagles who face the Chiefs on “Monday Night Football.” Unfortunately, some stats aren’t so favorable.

For example, Philadelphia is allowing 257 passing yards per game, fourth most in the NFL. The Chiefs passing game isn’t what it used to be, but 264.9 yards per week through the air is still good enough for fourth place among NFL teams.

More problematic could be Andy Reid’s record coming off a bye week. In regular-season games, Reid’s teams are 21-3 following a bye. That's a pretty good record, but Philadelphia is coming off a bye as well.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is 2-0 after a break but winless against the Chiefs. You can bet he’s picked the brain of his newest safety. Philadelphia spent two draft picks and a player to get Byard last month. He gets to prove he was worth it on Monday.

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