With just one game left in the regular season for the Kansas City Chiefs, and having clinched a playoff berth, it seems that their last fight will be a difficult one. Head Coach Andy Reid announced that 2x Super Bowl Champion Patrick Mahomes would not be playing in the upcoming game against the Los Angeles Chargers due to an ankle injury even though he fully participated in Wednesday’s practice session.

Travis Kelce, on the other hand, even though he saw limited participation in Wednesday’s session will be playing on Sunday. This game is of significance for the 34-year-old tight end as he will aim at breaking an NFL record. And this could well be the last chance at doing that.

Could Travis Kelce break the NFL record without Mahomes?

In a media interaction, a reporter asked Head Coach Andy Reid whether he would push for certain players to get the numbers that they want so that they can break the record that they are so close to breaking. The reporters were in particular curious about whether Reid would plan things so that Kelce who is just 17 receiving yards from crossing the 1,000-yard season milestone could achieve that number. If he does, it would be his eighth such consecutive season which would be an NFL record since the record right now is seven, which Kelce has already matched.

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But Reid gave no definitive answer and just said, “We’ll see. We’ll see how that goes.” Under normal circumstances, 17 yards should be a walk in the park for the elite TE, but this time he will not have his best chum Mahomes on the field to help him with it. Blaine Gabbert would likely be starting instead of him. Earlier, he had said that he and the team will do their best to help him achieve that record. “We’re going to do our damn best to get him 17 yards.” 

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But there’s another thing that stands in the way of Travis achieving that milestone: his performance has been declining recently.

Is Kelce’s performance on the gridiron declining?

Travis Kelce managed a pitiful 16 receiving yards during the New Year’s Eve game. That is the least amount of points he has scored in a Cincinnati Bengals game since at least 2015. Moreover, it was his lowest receiving yardage in seven games! Furthermore, he extended his streak of six games without a touchdown on Sunday.

And with his toe injury, Kelce might have a hard time reaching that number. There’s also the small probability that Reid might decide to sideline him in the last moment so that he doesn’t further aggravate his injury and is fully recovered for the playoff games. “And if it’s Coach Reid’s decision to have him rest, he’s gonna rest,” Gabbert said.

The Chiefs will take on the Chargers at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California on January 7 at 4:25 p.m. ET.

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