Travis Kelce’s streak of 1,000-yard seasons has come to an end.
Instead of letting Kelce extend his tight end record and go for an eighth straight 1,000-yard campaign, the Chiefs have decided to sit Kelce for Sunday’s season finale against the Chargers in Los Angeles, leaving him with 984 yards for the season.
The Chiefs, who are locked into the No. 3 seed in the AFC, called the Kelce move a “coaching decision.”
Kansas City will host the No. 6 seed next weekend in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs; their opponent had yet to be determined as of early Sunday afternoon.
By most standards, Kelce had an excellent season, earning his ninth straight Pro Bowl nod as he caught 93 passes and five touchdowns in 15 games.
However, he finishes the season with 10.6 yards per reception, by far his career low; his previous low was 12.2.
And critics who seem to have grown tired of the Chiefs star’s well-documented romance with pop star Taylor Swift have tried to paint a picture of Swift having an impact on Kelce’s performance.
The Chiefs (10-6) did have a rough couple of months after a 6-1 start, losing five of eight games after that, culminating with a home loss on Christmas to the Raiders.
Kelce slammed his helmet on the sideline during the first half of that loss, with the Chiefs unable to hide their frustration as they uncharacteristically struggled to score.
But a win over the Bengals last week has allowed them to rest key players in Week 18 to gear up for the playoffs.
Swift, meanwhile, is also in the Los Angeles area as she’s expected to attend the 2024 Golden Globe Awards on Sunday night in Beverly Hills.
“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is nominated in the new category, Cinematic and Box Office Achievement.
Kelce is not expected to attend the Globes with Swift.
Swift was spotted out in L.A. with Patrick Mahomes’ wife, Brittany.
