The Kansas City Chiefs sought a three-peat in Super Bowl 59. Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the Chiefs had terrorized the NFL the previous two seasons en route to two championships. However, the Philadelphia Eagles were not interested in allowing Kansas City to make history on their watch.
The Eagles dominated the Chiefs in Super Bowl 59. They took a 24-0 lead into the half and, at one point, led 34-0. Ultimately, Philadelphia secured its second Super Bowl championship by a 40-22 scoreline.
Looking for reasons as to why the Chiefs fell so flat, Kelce became a target.
Travis Kelce Drawing Heat for Super Bowl 59 Performance
What exactly went wrong for Kansas City in the big game is up for debate. One could point to the offensive line, for instance.
The Eagles did not blitz Mahomes on any of his dropbacks during the game, according to ESPN’s Next Gen Stats. However, they still recorded six sacks while generating consistent pressure.
Some fans online pointed to another source, though. Kelce is a future Hall of Fame tight end. His résumé certainly speaks for itself. But fans were not pleased with the effort he put in during Super Bowl 59.
pic.twitter.com/6ghxaIE2c3 https://t.co/kCkpnf1Er2
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) February 12, 2025
Kelce caught the majority of his targets during Super Bowl 59. Mahomes looked his way six times during the game, four of which were caught. But he did not have an impact on the game overall, finishing the game with just 39 receiving yards and no touchdown catches.
Stop blaming Joe Thuney. THIS was the effort Kelce was giving all night…Trent Williams wouldn't have made a difference at LT. 🤷♂️
Love Kelce but this shit right here is hard to watch. If you can't get fired up for a 3peat no better than this, it may be time. #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/aVd3ZbNdMV
— All Chief'd Up! (@AllChiefdUp) February 11, 2025
Some have wondered about Kelce’s future in the NFL. He will turn 36 years old during the 2025 NFL season. The Chiefs star made his debut back in 2014 and quickly emerged as a star in the league. From 2016 to 2022, he posted at least 1,000 receiving yards while catching 100+ passes on three occasions.
However, his production has declined as of late. He has had fewer than 100 catches in each of the last two seasons. He had nearly 1,000 yards receiving in 2023. In 2024, though, he finished the regular season with fewer than 900 yards receiving.
Kelce certainly showed he still had something left during the 2023 playoffs. Despite a statistical downseason, he had one of his best statistical postseasons. He caught 32 passes for 355 yards and three touchdowns in four games. The Chiefs eventually won Super Bowl 58, as well.
The Chiefs’ veteran playmaker did not turn in a promising postseason performance in 2024. In fact, the difference was night and day. He still had good hands, only failing to catch five of his targets. In saying this, he was only targeted 18 times during these playoffs.
As a result, Kelce had some rough numbers. He racked up only 175 yards on 13 catches this postseason and just one touchdown.
There are some positive signs that he may have something left. He did not make a massive impact during the playoffs, but when he did have his number called, he made it count. Kelce averaged 13.5 yards per reception this postseason — the third-highest average of his postseason career.
Whether that is the result of a small sample size is up for debate. In any event, Kelce had a rather disappointing postseason no matter how it’s dissected. And it played some role in the Chiefs not raising the Lombardi Trophy for a third consecutive season.