Chiefs Coach Andy Reid says Travis Kelce is willing to ‘sacrifice himself for the cause’ in the middle of the year

There is no way around it Travis Kelce is having a down year statistically, but the Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid praised his star tight end for making the most of things.

Kelce, 35, has just two touchdowns through Kansas City’s first 15 games of the season. The 9-time Pro Bowler has never finished a season with fewer than 5.

Additionally, Kelce has amassed 739 receiving yards — certainly not a number for the average tight end to sneeze at — but Kelce has never finished a season with fewer than 862, dating back to his 2014 rookie campaign.

The Chiefs have two regular season games remaining, both on the road: Wednesday, December 25 against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Sunday, January 5 against the Denver Broncos.

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Given all the noise about Kelce’s lack of production, Reid, 66, acknowledged that Kelce hears the talk — but has learned to let it roll off his back.

“He does a good job with all of that,” Reid told reporters Monday 23 December “Good team leader. That is why he has been named captain for the last many years.

Reid continued, “He would sacrifice himself for the cause, as they say. I’m not telling you he doesn’t like to play and catch and do all that stuff. He loves it. But at the same time, he’s willing to help anywhere.”

Despite Kelce’s weak numbers, the Chiefs still managed to earn a 14-1 record – the best in the NFL.

The comments from Kelce’s head coach came after the Chiefs signed the veteran tight end Robert Tonyan to their practice squad, a move that could affect Kelce’s production if Tonyan, 30, is elevated to the main roster.

On the Dec. 4 episode of his “New Heights” podcast, Kelce admitted that he and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes were struggling to find their perennial chemistrywhich has wreaked havoc in the NFL since 2018.

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“Where I take a lot of pride is when we get in the red zone, man,” Kelce told Big Brother, Jason Kelce. “I’m getting a little hungrier. Right now, for whatever reason this year, I just can’t find my way in the end zone. I’m just not on the same page as Pat. It can get frustrating. It can get frustrating. That’s for sure.”

Earlier this season, Travis explained how he felt stopped worrying so much about his own personal numbers in favor of the greater good of the team.

“I stopped caring about stats about four or five years ago,” Travis said on “New Heights” on Sept. 18. “I just went out there and started playing free and making plays for my guys. Obviously, I think it’s the better mentality. You think more about it play by play and what your job is on that specific play.”

Travis will get a chance to right the ship when the Chiefs travel to Pittsburgh for a Christmas Day matchup against the Steelers, streamed at 1 p.m. ET on Netflix.