Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce caught three touchdown passes from Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City’s dramatic win in Los Angeles on Sunday night, and afterward Mahomes had high praise for Kelce.
“Travis, I mean, it’s Travis, greatest tight end of all time, he makes plays like that to win games,” Mahomes said.
If he’s not the greatest, Kelce is on the list with Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Rob Gronkowski, Mike Ditka, Ozzie Newsome, John Mackey and Shannon Sharpe. Mahomes says what sets Kelce apart is how much his competitive nature and work ethic inspire the rest of the team.
“He just competes,” Mahomes said. “He’s gonna keep fighting until the very end. When you see that, not only is it impressive for him, but it gets other guys going. Like I said, he’s one of the best if not the best tight end of all time, but he’s coming to work every day to get better. So that shows you, whenever you step in the facility, you’re like, ‘Man, I’ve got to get to work, if this guy is doing that, I have to at least match that.'”
Mahomes said Kelce is the one tight end he’d trust to win a one-on-one matchup with Chargers safety Derwin James.
“If he’s man to man, I’m gonna give him a chance, and he’s gonna win most of them,” Mahomes said. “They’ve got Derwin, Derwin is going to win his battles because he’s probably the best safety in the league, but I’m going to give him a chance because I know how great he is.”