3 reasons Travis Kelce is the NFL’s most dominant tight end

Kelce is a big reason the Chiefs offense is nearly unstoppable this season.

When the Chargers head to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs, they’ll have their hands full with an offense littered with playmakers and an electrifying quarterback in Patrick Mahomes. While Mahomes is the headliner of the Chiefs offense (rightfully so, he’s probably going to win the MVP), the Chiefs have a unique, dynamic weapon in tight end Travis Kelce.

Kelce isn’t your average, lumbering tight end that makes a couple catches a game — he’s a focal point in the Chiefs offense. Through 13 games, Kelce has 1,159 yards and 10 touchdowns, which are insane numbers for a tight end. A third-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, Kelce has developed into arguably the best tight end in the game.

Here’s what Kelce brings to the Chiefs’ offense.

The Chiefs use Kelce’s short area quickness to get him open in space.

Kelce has a lot of wiggle (for lack of a better term) to his game despite being a bigger tight end. On this play against the Raiders, Kelce is matched up in man coverage against a cornerback. Kelce runs a “whip” route where he fakes inside before breaking back outside towards the sideline.

He creates just enough separation to bring the pass in for a touchdown.

Kelce’s quickness also makes it extremely difficult for linebackers to stay with him in coverage.

Look at Kelce’s quickness off the line of scrimmage and the way he’s able to create space for himself to get vertical by using a head fake around the 7-yard line. That little fake created just enough of a window for Patrick Mahomes to fire a missile to Kelce for a touchdown.

His ability to hold on to this pass is just as impressive as his ability to create space in a compact area like the red zone.

Kelce can pick up yards after the catch as well.

When Kelce was going through the pre-draft process in 2013, he ran a 4.61 40-yard dash at his pro day — that athleticism shows up when you turn on the tape.

The Chiefs occasionally use Kelce on screens where he can make plays with the ball in his hands. Here, Kansas City fakes a screen to the orbit motion going left, then comes back to the right side of the field where Kelce has a convoy of blockers ahead of him.

His acceleration on the play allows the Chiefs to pick up a first down and that athleticism shows up when it’s time to leap in the air and come down with the ball.

He can make plays on the ball in the air.

Kelce can also leap through the air and make plays on the ball when it’s not thrown in the exact spot it needs to be. This play against Baltimore is a perfect example.

Kelce races past the cornerback and finds an open spot near the sideline before the safety rotating down can get him. The pass is a bit behind him, but he makes a great adjustment on the ball to snatch the ball out of the air and toe-tap along the sidelines.

This is just a snippet of what makes Kelce such a great tight end. The Chargers are oddly equipped to handle Kelce with rookie sensation Derwin James and second year defensive back Desmond King playing well against tight ends this year. Still, it’s tough not to bet on Kelce getting his — he just bring so much to the table.

Kelce is having the best season of his career so far (he’s already at a career-high for yards and touchdowns with three games to go) and should continue to be a huge weapon for the Chiefs as they start their run towards Atlanta for the Super Bowl.