Travis Kelce played little role in the Chiefs’ third consecutive win at the start of the 2024 NFL season.
The All-Pro tight end appeared dejected as NBC cameras caught him on the bench while the Falcons led Kansas City 14-10 before halftime.
Kelce, who was limited in the passing game in Kansas City’s first two victories, finished the Chiefs’ 22-17 victory over the Falcons on Sunday night in Atlanta with four catches on five attempts for 30 yards.
The three-time Super Bowl champion, known for his fiery personality, was seen rubbing his eyes and looking down before staring into the distance.
He now has eight catches for 69 yards and zero touchdowns.
Kelce, who is in his 12th NFL season, was again outshone by sophomore wide receiver Rashee Rice, who caught one of Patrick Mahomes’ two touchdown passes.
Mahomes heavily targeted Rice in Week 2 when the Chiefs earned a last-minute 26-25 win over the Bengals on Sept. 15.
Kelce, 34, caught just one pass over five yards against the Bengals – a 41-yard pass in the fourth quarter that was rejected for a holding offense by Kingsley Suamataia.
In the Chiefs’ home opener against the Ravens, he recorded three catches for 34 yards.
After Sunday’s performance, which saw his girlfriend Taylor Swift, who attended the first two games of the season, absent from the stands, he is now on pace to reach just 391 receiving yards this season.
Kelce spoke about his slow start after Week 2 on his podcast “New Heights” with his brother Jason Kelce.
“I used to get really, really angry and almost lose it a lot of times when I wasn’t successful because I knew that’s what I was asking of myself and I just like to play the game with so much responsibility that it’s just hard for me to deal with mediocrity or statistics that reflect that,” Kelce said last Wednesday.
The Chiefs (3-0) will face the Chargers (2-1) in Los Angeles on September 29th.
