After the Chiefs knocked off the Patriots to start the 2017 season, some of the Alex Smith critics finally started to come around. Plenty of his colleagues already had.
In an interview that aired as part of the NBC pregame show, tight end Travis Kelce heavily praised Smith, despite the presence of highly-touted rookie Patrick Mahomes.
“Love him, man,” Kelce told Mike Tirico regarding Smith. “Ultimate competitor. The guy has yet to shy away from any competition that I’ve ever seen him in. . . . Two years ago we went up in New England with everyone banged up. Our offensive line wasn’t even together. And he went in there with full confidence in his ability, trying to lead our team into a victory in a tough situation.”
It was arguably a tougher situation on Thursday night, and Smith delivered in a huge way, completing 28 of 35 passes and distributing the ball all around the field, including down the field.
“The guy’s an absolute winner,” Kelce said before the surprising opening-season win. “He’s my quarterback. I’ll take him every single day of the week, no matter what-- what game, no matter who we’re playing.”
But what of the perception that the Chiefs can’t win a Super Bowl with Smith?
“I say, just wait this year,” Kelce said. “If he can’t go get it, I’m gonna go get it for him. And that’s for sure.”
That sounds a little like a guarantee from Kelce. And if it pans out, the Chiefs definitely would have a “good problem to have” entering 2018.