Let Travis Kelce prove that karma is indeed a tight end. Kelce’s world-famous girlfriend was present for the Chiefs’ dominant 17-10 AFC Championship Game road win against the Ravens, but Kelce was the best player in the stadium.
Kansas City’s elite receiver provided another sensational single for his future Hall of Famer as he took over in Baltimore to ensure his team made a fourth trip to the Super Bowl in the last five seasons. From pregame warmups to the fourth quarter, Kelce was the MVP of the Chiefs game, the clear offensive superstar in an otherwise defensive-minded battle of attrition.
Kelce, with Taylor Swift present in the wild card and divisional playoff victories over the Dolphins and Bills, had racked up 12 receptions for 146 yards, including two huge touchdowns in Buffalo. Against the Ravens he made sure that he, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs will seek to repeat the ring in Super Bowl 58.
RELATED: Kelce prompts Kyle Van Noy to take a headbutt penalty
While there are questions about whether Swift will also be able to be in Las Vegas on February 11, there is no doubt that Kelce salvaged his best dominance in the AFC playoffs for the Ravens. Here’s a look at her record-breaking postseason performance:
Travis Kelce’s stats from the AFC Championship game against the Ravens
Kelce nearly matched his stats from the previous two playoff games, catching all 11 targets for 116 yards and the dazzling first touchdown of the game. The Ravens tried to contain him with young star safety Kyle Hamilton in coverage early, but none of his game plan worked, as Kelce made all the tough catches (as well as the easy ones) for Mahomes when necessary.
Kelce added a five-yard rushing play for a first down in the second half. He also made some key blocks for power running back Isiah Pacheco to set the tone in the first half, including Pacheco’s own touchdown.
Before the game, Kelce hinted that he would be in the Ravens’ faces throughout the game. get Ravens kicker Justin Tucker and his practice ball out of the way for Mahomes’ warm-up. During the game, Kelce got into the heads of the Ravens defense, helping draw a key unnecessary roughness penalty on the Chiefs’ field goal midway through the end.
While Kelce had a big hand in helping the Chiefs score all 17 points in the game and keep them going in the second half, he also had unique all-time company in the postseason.
What records did Travis Kelce set in the AFC championship game?
Jerry Rice has long been considered the consensus GOAT wide receiver. Now, Kelce has strengthened his case to be considered the consensus GOAT tight end by surpassing and matching Rice in the same game.
Kelce (145) entered the matchup behind only Rice (151) in all-time receptions in the NFL playoffs. He surpassed Rice by easily reaching seven receptions before halftime. Kelce, with his 11th total receptions, is now ahead of Rice, 156-151. That record won’t be broken for a while, if ever, as former Chiefs teammate Tyreek Hill (96), now with the Dolphins, ranks second among active NFL players .
Rice needed 31 playoff games to make his mark. Kelce has played only 21 playoff games. Kelce, with his 116 yards, also tied Rice for the most 100-yard receiving games in the playoffs with eight. He can break that mark with another century in Super Bowl 58.
Rice is still three ahead of Kelce (22 to 19) in all-time receiving touchdowns in the playoffs. Kelce is unlikely to break that record in one more playoff game, but he can tie it, given that he scored twice against the Bills in the divisional round and has had three TD games before.
Finally, Kelce inched closer to Rice in the playoffs for all-time receiving yards with an updated mark of 1,810. He’s still 435 yards behind Rice there, who will hold that record for a while with 2,245 career playoff receiving yards.
If Kelce continues to play in the NFL after age 35, he will surely own the playoff records for 100-yard receptions and touchdowns. He’ll probably need to play in at least two more postseasons to also reach Rice’s yardage record.
There is some question about where Swift stands among female pop artists of all time. There is no doubt that Kelce is now the most dominant receiver at any position in NFL playoff history.
