Travis Kelce doesn't seem as dire as he looks.
And on Wednesday's “New Heights” podcastThe Chiefs tight end insisted he has no concerns about his sluggish start amid constant discussion about his off-field effort and dedication to football.
“I've done a lot of catching in this league. I don't care about the number of catches or the number of yards. I have the most fun when the ball is thrown my way. Who wouldn't?” Kelce said.
“It's all about execution and just making sure we're doing everything we can to win football games. That's always going to be the goal.”
Kelce, whose star rose to new heights last year as his romance with Taylor Swift grew, has eight receptions for 69 yards and zero touchdowns through three games.
In Sunday's primetime Chiefs win over the Falcons, much attention was focused on the nine-time Pro Bowl selection's limited role (four receptions for 30 yards) and slumping appearance on the bench.
“I think people saw that I tried to do too much in the fourth quarter and on important third downs before I even had the ball,” Kelce said of the Falcons' 22-17 win over the Eagles. “The biggest thing for me is making plays in those big moments. With the way we're playing defense right now, I don't think I'm going to get as many opportunities to play on the field, but I'm not going to use that as an excuse. I'm just going to remember that I've been that weapon and continue to try to help the team in that regard. Going forward, it's just a matter of everybody fine-tuning their game in the right direction.”
The poor performance has since led to a flood of criticism of the 34-year-old Kelce, with sports media commentators zeroing in on his eventful offseason, which has ranged from overseas trips to film appearances, and where his focus has been.
But Kelce remains focused on the Chiefs' three-game winning streak.
“Whatever it is, it's football. I'm not concerned with hitting targets or anything like that. I just want to be successful on offense. Pat [Mahomes] “Right now he's doing a great job of finding the open guy and making the right decisions and we've got to continue to do that. It's a new offense, new players, new pieces and we're just figuring out how to be successful throughout the season,” Kelce said.
“As an offensive line, you’re going to go through ups and downs throughout the season, so you have to correct all of your mistakes and communicate so that everyone knows exactly where we’re going to go, and nobody can do that better than the coaches. [Andy] Reid and Pat Mahomes are better at that.”
Kelsey's comments Wednesday follow comments made last week in which he said he was “really upset” about the pedestrian outing.
“For whatever reason, the last two games just didn't go well for me, and that's football,” Kelce said on the podcast on Sept. 18. “I'm not going to sit here and be frustrated.”
The three-time Super Bowl champion added that during the episode, “I stopped worrying about the stats about four or five years ago and just started playing free.”
“I think more on a play-by-play basis and what my role is in that play and then moving forward and thinking about how I can be better in that moment,” Kelce said. “Am I not quick enough to get out of my route? Whatever the situation is, it's all play-specific, but I'm always looking at film, looking at strategy and trying to make it more perfect every week.”
Kelce had 93 receptions for 984 yards and five touchdowns in 15 games last year.
It was his first season since 2015 without eclipsing 1,000 yards.
The Chiefs' quest for a third straight Super Bowl title continues Sunday in Los Angeles against the Chargers (2-1).
