Patrick Mahomes on Travis Kelce: Playoffs are what he lives for

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said that in the days leading up to Saturday’s game against the Texans Those great players He stepped up in the playoffs and expect tight end Travis Kelce to do so after a relatively quiet regular season.

Mahomes’ projection was as much about the money as his passing. Kelce caught seven passes for 117 yards and a touchdown in a 23-14 win that propelled the Chiefs to the AFC Championship Game for the seventh straight season. After the game, Mahomes said “it’s easy” to explain why Kelce was able to get things right again.

“Big players make big plays in big games. . . . This is a playoff game,” Mahomes said. “He’s a leader, man. This is it What he lives forHe plays in these moments, and he has the opportunity to make big plays. He goes out there and does it, and it seems like he does it every playoff game.”

Kelce is the NFL’s all-time leader in playoff yards and trails only Jerry Rice in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. He needs 226 yards and three touchdowns to finish first in those categories and it wouldn’t be surprising if that happens before the scraps fall in New Orleans next month.