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Analyst has theory about early-season struggles of Chiefs' Travis Kelce
Following the Kansas City Chiefs' 22-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes suggested that the lackluster numbers produced by Travis Kelce across the season's first three weeks were related to how defenses schemed against the All-Pro tight end.
During a Monday appearance on "The Ryen Russillo Podcast," well-known NFL analyst and former ESPN personality Todd McShay referenced Kelce's relationship with entertainment superstar Taylor Swift while discussing why the 34-year-old recorded just eight catches for 69 yards and zero touchdowns over Kansas City's three victories.
"Every show I watch, every pregame show, halftime show, postgame show, weekday show, every broadcast I watch for the last few weeks, it’s like, are we not allowed to say that he’s out of shape, that he’s been partying all offseason?" McShay said about Kelce, as shared by Jaclyn Hendricks of the New York Post. "He’s been jet-setting around with the most famous person probably in the entire world, that’s he drinking, going to the U.S. Open."
Kelce and the Chiefs insisted throughout last season that his spending time with Swift caused no distractions for the club, and Kansas City ultimately won Super Bowl LVIII in February. This past offseason, Kelce accepted a high-profile acting gig, was named the host of Amazon’s "Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?" show and received a deal reportedly worth more than $100M from Amazon's Wondery for the "New Heights" podcast that he hosts with his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.
"The coverage and the respect he gets is the same," McShay continued while speaking about Travis Kelce. "The athlete is not. Now, is he going to work himself into shape during the season? Yeah, I’m sure he will. He’s an unbelievable competitor. He’s one of the best to ever do it and he still finds a way to make a play or two here and there and shows up in some clutch moments, but he’s not the same guy right now."
Some made similar comments last fall about the Chiefs' passing attack not being the same as in previous campaigns. Kansas City silenced such chatter when it mattered the most, and McShay believes Travis Kelce will "probably work himself back into shape by Week 8, 9, 10 this season."
The Mahomes-Kelce connection will next have an opportunity to start clicking when the unbeaten Chiefs play at the 2-1 Los Angeles Chargers this Sunday. As of late Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Chiefs as 8.5-point favorites for that matchup.
More must-reads:
- Chiefs HC Andy Reid comments on QB Patrick Mahomes' self-criticism
- The NFL's all-time most dramatic single-season declines
- The 'AP First-Team All-Pro tight ends' quiz
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