Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has been instrumental in 3-0 start, even without his usual production

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ask anybody in the Kansas City Chiefs locker room, from Andy Reid to offensive coordinator Matt Nagy to quarterback Patrick Mahomes, why Travis Kelce hasn’t been catching passes and they will have the same answer: It’s not his fault.

In fact, they will say the fact that the four-time All-Pro tight end has a mere eight catches for 69 yards through the first three weeks of the season is also a big reason why the two-time defending Super Bowl champions are 3-0 heading into a game at the Los Angeles Chargers this weekend.

Kelce simply demands coverage, even as his 35th birthday approaches next weekend. That’s hardly a new concept, of course, but opposing defenses have been taking it to an extreme this season. Double-teams are constant, and even triple-teams have become regular, as was the case during a 22-17 victory last Sunday night in Atlanta.

So, with Kelce blanketed, that opened up Rashee Rice to catch 12 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown, JuJu Smith-Schuster to catch his first touchdown pass of the season, and even backup tight end Noah Gray to settle in for an easy catch.

“I feel like I want to give him the ball more,” Mahomes said of Kelce, “whereas he’s just like, ‘I just want to win, man. I don’t care. I’ll run these routes and take guys with me so that other guys can get open.’”

The 25-year-old version of Kelce might not have had the same magnanimous outlook, back when he was still trying to achieve stardom. But he is nothing if not secure in his career by this point — he almost certainly is headed for the Hall of Fame when his playing days are over — and with three Super Bowl rings on his fingers, he’ll do anything to get a fourth.

Even if it means becoming a de facto decoy in the Kansas City offense.

“He literally knows — I mean, he does know — that he collects people,” Reid said. “Then you have the checkdowns that we had last week. These big gains off of checks — or Noah, standing in the middle of the field by himself. (Rice) being able to get one-on-one situations. That’s a tribute to Travis, and he knows that.”

It might not sit well with fantasy football owners who invested first- and second-round picks in the perennially productive tight end. But it sits well in the Kansas City locker room, where Kelce has long been one of the veteran voices.

“In all honesty, I think he’s always been this guy,” said Mahomes, one of Kelce’s closest friends. “What’s been great for me in my career is that he wants to make an impact in the game, and he wants to make plays, but he wants to win at the end of the day.

“If we’re winning,” Mahomes said, “he’s good with just going out and playing hard — blocking, doing whatever he can to impact the game. Whenever we’re winning games like, that’s everybody, man. You just want to win at the end of the day.”

There are still plenty of critics who say Kelce has lost a step with age. Or he has become distracted by his growing number of pursuits away from the field, whether that’s his relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift, his hit podcast with his brother and former Eagles center Jason Kelce, or the acting and hosting opportunities he has had on television lately.

Reid and Mahomes are the first to bat those suggestions away.

They also are the first to point out that things tend to even out eventually. If Rice keeps catching 12 passes for a 110 yards and a score each game, the second-year wide receiver will naturally get more attention, and Kelce will find more room to work.

In the meantime, Mahomes said Kelce is still doing a great job of being a leader on the team.

“Playing hard, doing whatever he can to make an impact in the game,” Mahomes said. “When you do that in this league, usually good things come, and I’m excited for him to go out there and make an impact receiving the ball as well.”

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Dave Skretta, The Associated Press