The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles are clashing in a rematch from two years ago in Super Bowl 59, and everyone is anticipating another classic. While discussions have centered around the two quarterbacks, the elite defenses, and running back Saquon Barkley, one thing that’s gone under the radar is the impact of the two tight ends.
While Chiefs TE Travis Kelce has cemented himself as one of the all-time greats, Philly’s Dallas Goedert has had his best postseasons to date. Several may not be paying attention to their battle, but NFL legend Greg Olsen broke it down in detail.
Greg Olsen Gives Insight Into Travis Kelce and Dallas Goedert
In his career, Olsen was a three-time Pro Bowler who tallied 8,683 yards to go along with 60 touchdowns. As such, he can speak from immense experience about the talent and uniqueness each of the tight ends will bring to Super Bowl 59.
First, speaking about a certified legend like Kelce to PFSN, Olsen could offer only the highest of compliments about how the Chiefs-lifer had broken every record under the sun.
“I kind of came up in the Tony Gonzalez era. When Tony retired, it was like, ‘Is anyone ever going to be able to reach the plateau of Tony Gonzalez’?”
The answer, as it turns out, came in the form of the successor to Gonzalez in Kansas City.
“But then, you look at a guy like Travis, who now has the longevity, has the incredible consistency year in and year out, and then I think what really separates him from pretty much everybody else is that postseason success.”
But what made Kelce so unguardable was his unpredictability. Fred Warner, who’s gone up against the tight end in two different Super Bowls, spoke about the mental advantage Kelce has over opponents, claiming that preparing for him was impossible since he could improvise on the fly.
Olsen had similar comments, stating, “The hard thing about preparing for Travis — and sometimes you see like some of the diagrams where they use the data, and you kind of see the route running — you can’t teach a guy to run a route like Travis Kelce. A lot of those routes are not even routes.
“All week, Philadelphia is preparing for Travis Kelce to run a 12-yard base across. That’s not what it looks like when Travis does it, so there’s this improv, there’s this ability where every route is kind of multiple reactions all built into one play, and that’s what makes him and [Patrick] Mahomes so special.”
The Mahomes to Kelce connection is arguably the greatest between any quarterback and tight end ever. The two have connected on 17 playoff touchdowns, the most of all-time, with 56 total over their careers. And it’s what’s been at the centerpiece of this Chiefs dynasty that is appearing in its fifth Super Bowl in six years.
“It’s just so hard to predict. There is no final landmark. There is no clear path to getting to the catch point. It could look five different ways if they ran that play five different times, and I think that unique bond and connection that him and Patrick have is very unique.”
In Goedert’s case, Olsen gave a rather simple explanation.
“When he’s your fourth-best offensive player — quarterback aside — when he’s your fourth-best weapon, you’re pretty damn good.”
Thanks to the Eagles’ incredible run game, led by Barkley, who’s en route to setting the all-time record for most rushing yards in a season including the playoffs with just 30 yards more, and a pass game led by two elite wide receivers in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, Goedert’s effect goes unnoticed.
“You look at the volume that Saquon gets, and understandably so, and then A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and oh yeah, we also have Dallas Goedert. It’s a pretty nice luxury to have for Philadelphia and (offensive coordinator) Kellen Moore as they build this offense, knowing that in most offenses, he’s probably your first or second option, but the luxury they have is he’s No. 4.”
So far this postseason, Goedert’s already delivered a memorable touchdown run that had three stiff-arms in it. But against an exploitable part of the Chiefs’ defense, it might come down to Goedert to give the Eagles that extra edge in their Super Bowl rematch.