{"id":10231,"date":"2023-11-20T17:56:55","date_gmt":"2023-11-20T14:56:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/10231\/why-the-patrick-mahomes-and\/"},"modified":"2023-11-20T17:56:55","modified_gmt":"2023-11-20T14:56:55","slug":"why-the-patrick-mahomes-and","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/?p=10231","title":{"rendered":"Why the Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce connection is so unstoppable"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Why the Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce connection is so unstoppable\u060c<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<ul class=\"authors\">\n<li class=\"mugshot-shown\">\n<div class=\"author-img\"><\/div>\n<p>Adam Teicher, ESPN editor<span class=\"timestamp \">November 20, 2023, 9:00 a.m.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-overlay\">Close<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Covered the Chiefs for 20 seasons for the Kansas City Star<\/li>\n<li>Joined ESPN in 2013<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>KANSAS CITY LEADERS<\/strong> Tight end Travis Kelce&#8217;s run on third-and-3 in the third quarter of a <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/tag\/week\/\"   title=\"Week\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">Week<\/a> 3 game against the Chicago Bears was supposed to take him into the back right corner of the end zone, but he saw the defense leave the middle uncovered.<\/p>\n<p>So Kelce stopped there.  That&#8217;s when quarterback Patrick Mahomes spotted him and handed the ball to Kelce for an easy 3-yard touchdown.<\/p>\n<p>With thousands of throws and countless hours in the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/tag\/video\/\"   title=\"video\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">video<\/a> room between them, Mahomes and Kelce made the game work even if it wasn&#8217;t how the Chiefs designed it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou&#8217;re talking about two guys that have instincts that not a lot of people have,\u201d Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said.  &#8220;There&#8217;s a balance, because sometimes when you watch tape with rookies or guys coming up, [they ask], &#8216;Why did Kelce do this or do that?&#8217;  Well, he has an innate ability to recognize defenses.  It&#8217;s on another level.  What&#8217;s crazier is that Pat knows it too.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Sometimes we don&#8217;t even practice it. They just do it. &#8230; There are things in there, DNA-wise, between these two guys that a lot of people don&#8217;t have. They have this link.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The connection began in 2018 when Mahomes became the Chiefs&#8217; starter, and he&#8217;s one of the NFL&#8217;s all-time greats between a quarterback and tight end.  Kelce has Mahomes&#8217; 50 touchdowns, making them the fourth QB-TE duo to reach that mark.  They are also fourth for a quarterback and tight end in catches (550) and yards (6,895).<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline inline-table float-r\">\n<h2 class=\"table-caption\">Most TDs by QB-TE Duo<\/h2>\n<table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" data-text-contract=\"-\" data-text-expand=\"+\" data-fix-cols=\"0\" data-behavior=\"responsive_table\" class=\"inline-table\">\n<tbody>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>1.Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski<\/td>\n<td>90<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>2. Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates<\/td>\n<td>89<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>3. Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham<\/td>\n<td>51<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"last\">\n<td>4. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce<\/td>\n<td>50<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Most of those catches, yards and touchdowns came from plays executed exactly the way coach Andy Reid designed them.  But not at all.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;m doing my best to handle this thing like Coach Reid does,\u201d Kelce said.  &#8220;You want to be creative, but at the right time. &#8230; Coach Reid does a great job of working a lot to make these plays make sense for the quarterbacks, so you don&#8217;t want to stray too far from the script.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;All that creative stuff is fun. But for the most part, I would say about 99 percent of the time, I do what coach wants me to do.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Things don&#8217;t always go so well when both actors improvise.  Mahomes almost threw an interception against the New York Jets in Week 4 when Kelce stopped a route in the middle of the field and Mahomes threw it to where Kelce was heading.<\/p>\n<p>But when it works, it can yield big results.  During the 2021 AFC Divisional Round against the Buffalo Bills, Kelce told Mahomes he would change his route to create a seam in pass coverage on the Chiefs&#8217; final offensive play of the fourth quarter as they jostled to get within range of the baskets.<\/p>\n<p>Kelce&#8217;s 25-yard catch set up the field goal that sent the game into overtime.  The Chiefs made it to the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe does a great job and every time he\u2019s open, he\u2019s not covered,\u201d Mahomes said.  \u201cCoach Reid gives them freedom [that] if you&#8217;re open, stay there and don&#8217;t cover up and walk the course like we&#8217;ve walked it a thousand times in training. [Kelce] does a great job on this.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s something you can&#8217;t take for granted. It&#8217;s almost like he&#8217;s playing Madden, like he can read the media coverage, stop at the windows, be open and be on the same page. wavelength than me at any time.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Over a three-game stretch this season, Mahomes completed 28 consecutive passes to Kelce.  According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the odds of all 28 passes being completed based on the probability of completion were 1 in 3,000.<\/p>\n<p>Stats like those are why Nagy said he gives this advice to young receivers coming to the Chiefs wanting a connection with Mahomes like Kelce&#8217;s: It&#8217;s going to take a long time, and in the meantime, don&#8217;t do what Kelce does.  .<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline inline-photo full\">\n<figure><picture><source data- media=\"(min-width: 376px)\"><source data- media=\"(max-width: 375px)\"><img class=\" lazyload lazyload\" data-image-container=\".inline-photo\" height=\"320\" width=\"570\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption class=\"photoCaption\">Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has connected with tight end Travis Kelce for 50 touchdowns since 2018. They are the fourth QB-TE duo to reach this mark. <cite>Stephen Maturen\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/aside>\n<p><strong>YOUNG RECEIVERS ARE NOT<\/strong> the only ones marveling at how Mahomes and Kelce connect.  Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley saw his defense get beat repeatedly by both players.<\/p>\n<p>In five games against the Chargers with Staley as head coach, Kelce has 40 catches, 640 yards and six touchdowns.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe does everything at such a high level,\u201d Staley said.  &#8220;I think what&#8217;s difficult is just the chemistry he has with Patrick. It doesn&#8217;t matter what coverage &#8211; <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/tag\/man\/\"   title=\"man\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">man<\/a>, zone, matchup zone &#8211; it doesn&#8217;t matter. He just has a feel exceptional in the way to attack and beat leverage. When you have that type of feel in the passing game, it can open up when the play isn&#8217;t necessarily designed to go that way.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline float-r inline-track\">\n<h2 class=\"img-title\">The best of NFL Nation<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-lazyload=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Why-the-Patrick-Mahomes-and-Travis-Kelce-connection-is-so.jpg\" class=\"round lazyload\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Should Garrett and Watt be in the MVP conversation?<br \/>\u2022 The Chiefs have a new identity<br \/>\u2022 Lions prove they can figure it out<br \/>\u2022 Bears QB Fields returns in time to evaluate<br \/>\u2022 Broncos defense reason for this winning streak<br \/>\u2022 Will Stroud be OSU&#8217;s first <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/tag\/pro\/\"   title=\"Pro\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">Pro<\/a> Bowl QB?<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cThen he and Pat just have that eye contact, that chemistry of feeling the space and the zones and going for it. The other thing that Travis does such a good job of is running with the ball after the catch. He is one of the best tight ends ever played. Much respect for him.<\/p>\n<p>Mahomes said even backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert, in his 12th NFL season but first with the Chiefs, asked him after the touchdown against the Bears why Mahomes goes off-script so often with Kelce with the desired results .<\/p>\n<p>Gabbert said he&#8217;s seen other top passing combinations like Tom Brady to Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Rodgers to Davante Adams work the same way, but not in the depth of Mahomes to Kelce.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, Mahomes and Kelce have connected for more yards (5,598) and touchdowns (40) than any quarterback-receiver duo in the NFL since 2019, according to ESPN Stats &#038; Information.  Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs have 36 touchdowns, as do Kirk Cousins \u200b\u200band Adam Thielen.  Cousins \u200b\u200band Justin Jefferson have the second-most yards over that span (5,348).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTravis sees defenses like a quarterback, and he has that feeling that we see and he can see it as the play develops,\u201d Gabbert said.  \u201cSo that\u2019s something that a lot of people on our team try to emulate, but you really can\u2019t replicate it because of who he is as a player and the relationship he has with Pat throughout &#8230; They almost make it. It looks like basketball, and as a quarterback, it&#8217;s very nice that he&#8217;s always trying to get open to give us an open throw.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m lucky to be here now and to be able to see it personally, because in [the past] you watch them on film, but you really didn&#8217;t know what was happening to know why.  \u00bb<\/p>\n<aside class=\"inline inline-photo full\">\n<figure><picture><source data- media=\"(min-width: 376px)\"><source data- media=\"(max-width: 375px)\"><img class=\" lazyload lazyload\" data-image-container=\".inline-photo\" height=\"320\" width=\"570\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption class=\"photoCaption\">Mahomes and Kelce have totaled more yards (5,598) and touchdowns (40) than any QB-WR duo in the NFL since 2019. Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs of the Buffalo Bills have 36 touchdowns, as does Kirk Cousins \u200b\u200b\u200b\u200band Adam Thielen in Minnesota.  . <cite>Caroline Brehman\/EPA<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/aside>\n<p><strong>KELCE JOINED THE<\/strong> Chiefs in 2013, five years before Mahomes became a starter.  A quarterback for a time at the University of Cincinnati, Kelce had a similar working relationship with Alex Smith, Mahomes&#8217; predecessor at quarterback.<\/p>\n<p>It didn&#8217;t take Mahomes and Kelce long to develop what they have today.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt just took a few years to work with him,\u201d Mahomes said.  \u201cNot only did I get a sense of how he ran routes, but he also got a sense of how I saw things, so just that combination of things, I think, developed this connection where we can kind of go off the radar screen and kind of develop stuff that&#8217;s not necessarily called.<\/p>\n<p>Kelce has been a big supporter of Smith and said he wasn&#8217;t initially thrilled when the Chiefs traded him to Washington to free up room for Mahomes.<\/p>\n<p>But his career has blossomed since Mahomes took over.  The five best statistical seasons of Kelce&#8217;s career have come with Mahomes at quarterback, and he&#8217;s on pace for a sixth this season.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPat has the instinctive ability to do things that I\u2019ve never seen anyone else do on a <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/tag\/football\/\"   title=\"football\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">football<\/a> field,\u201d Kelce said.  That&#8217;s where he <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/tag\/stands\/\"   title=\"stands\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">stands<\/a> out and he kind of shows his own personality in that regard. In terms of situational football, understanding the rules of the game, time management, all those things that Coach Reid is the guru, so is Pat. . [Their connection is a result of] being in the same meetings, understanding how Coach Reid does things and in training camps, having countless amounts of time to be able to go over all of those things.<\/p>\n<p>The result is a touchdown like the touchdown against the Bears.  Kelce saw it, Mahomes saw it, and they were confident it would work well, as it has for them many other times.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just kind of understand what he&#8217;s going to do, some things he&#8217;s not really supposed to do,\u201d Mahomes said.  \u201cThere were times in training where we were thinking about making a request for that when we got that request for him to run that route.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I remember telling the coaches, &#8216;I don&#8217;t know why we need a call. He&#8217;s going to do it anyway.&#8217;  So of course he does it, and it\u2019s a touchdown.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why the Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce connection is so unstoppable\u060c Adam Teicher, ESPN editorNovember 20, 2023, 9:00 a.m. Close Covered the Chiefs for 20 seasons for the Kansas City Star Joined ESPN in 2013 KANSAS CITY LEADERS Tight end Travis Kelce&#8217;s run on third-and-3 in the third quarter of a Week 3 game against [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10232,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[526,2335,893,892,1647,5980],"class_list":["post-10231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-sports","tag-connection","tag-kelce","tag-mahomes","tag-patrick","tag-travis","tag-unstoppable"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10231"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10231\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10233,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10231\/revisions\/10233"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}