Kansas City Chiefs’ postseason hopes took a dramatic hit on Sunday Night Football, and the fallout has been swift—and pointed. After a stunning 20-10 home loss to the Houston Texans, scrutiny has intensified around Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, whose uncharacteristically shaky performance became one of the biggest talking points of the night. With Kansas City’s playoff probability plummeting to just 15 percent, the pressure on the reigning AFC powerhouse has reached a new level.
Chiefs offense falters at the worst possible time
The Chiefs, long known for their explosive and disciplined offensive unit, found themselves undone by errors from their most trusted veterans. Patrick Mahomes struggled to find rhythm, but it was Kelce’s late-game miscues that proved particularly costly in a contest Kansas City needed to steady its postseason path.
Travis Kelce, a future Hall of Famer and the backbone of Mahomes’ passing attack, caught just one of his five targets during the matchup. His two critical fourth-quarter drops—one of which was intercepted—shifted the game’s momentum and helped seal the Texans’ upset victory. Those errors have now ignited a tide of speculation regarding whether the 34-year-old tight end is beginning to feel the weight of age and mileage.
Stephen A. Smith sounds the alarm
On Monday morning, ESPN’s First Take amplified the conversation when analyst Stephen A. Smith delivered a blunt assessment of Kelce’s career trajectory. His comments sent shockwaves through the football world, as he suggested that fans may be witnessing the twilight of one of the league’s greatest tight ends.
“As for their future sure-fire Hall-of-Famer Travis Kelce, I think this is the end for him,” Smith declared. “I think we all knew he just came back because of the way they went out in the Super Bowl against the Eagles.”
Smith’s critique mirrors the concerns of many who watched Travis Kelce’s performance on Sunday—a night that may go down as one of the toughest games of his career, especially considering its playoff implications.
A season falling below the standard
Kelce’s 2023 campaign has been noticeably muted compared to his typically elite production. With 60 receptions for 727 yards, he is on track for his least productive season since 2015 unless he manages 8 or more catches in each of the Chiefs’ final four games. Patrick Mahomes’ long-reliable safety valve is now averaging just over four receptions per game, a steep drop for one of the NFL’s most dependable pass-catchers.
The tight end’s return this season was thought to be fueled, at least in part, by a desire to avenge last year’s Super Bowl loss to Philadelphia. Yet the Chiefs now find themselves fighting simply to survive in the playoff race, and Kelce’s efforts have yet to reflect the vengeance-driven narrative that surrounded his comeback.
Playoff hopes narrow—and questions mount
With four games left and help required from other AFC contenders, Kansas City faces an uphill climb. The Chiefs must play near-perfect football the rest of the way—something they have not demonstrated in recent weeks. As for Travis Kelce, all eyes will be on whether Sunday’s performance was an outlier or a troubling sign of what’s to come.