Jan 18, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) runs the ball after a pass reception against the Houston Texans during the fourth quarter of a 2025 AFC divisional round game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

After perhaps the worst regular season of his career, it sure didn’t take Travis Kelce long to send the football world a reminder of what he’s capable of when he’s clicking. The Kansas City Chiefs‘ superstar tight end had one of his best outings in recent memory on Saturday, tapping back into his 2024 playoff form in his first game of 2025.

In the divisional round against the Houston Texans, Kelce turned back the clock by hauling in seven passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. Converting on almost all of his eight targets, the 35-year-old made the most of his opportunities and nearly doubled his regular-season yardage after missed tackles (33 to 18). It was a statement game on the biggest stage to this point, only to be outdone by an AFC championship game that’s on deck for next Sunday.

Following Kelce’s huge afternoon and evening, quarterback Patrick Mahomes explained how his teammate is able to find an extra gear when it matters the most.

“It’s simple,” Mahomes said. “It’s real: Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games. That’s just how simple it is. He’s one of those guys, he doesn’t let the moment be bigger than what it is. He just goes out there and executes at a high level, just like he does in the regular season, he just does that at a little bit higher intensity.”

According to Mahomes, the legend of postseason Kelce speaks for itself.

“It’s playoff Trav,” Mahomes said. “He’s a leader, man. This is what he lives for, is playing in these moments [and] having the chance to make big-time plays. He goes out there and does that. It seems like he does it every single playoff game.”

It’s hard to argue against Kelce being one of the top playoff performers in NFL history as a pass catcher. In fact, he and Jerry Rice are the only two players with at least 2,000 receiving yards and 20 receiving touchdowns in the big dance. On Saturday, Kelce passed Rice and set a new league record with his ninth-ever 100-plus-yard game in the playoffs. The Mahomes-Kelce duo is elite – no quarterback-receiver combo has more postseason touchdowns than them – but it’s safe to say the latter was the more impressive player against Houston.

Saturday was a much-needed showing from Kelce, who had an interesting week in the media realm. On a weekday appearance on “The Pat McAfee show,” the future Hall of Fame man said he was “feeling 22 all over again” and was “fired up” for a big game. Just a couple of days later on another show, however, he openly discussed retirement and revealed what he thought was fading away from his game. Ironically, that element of making players miss somehow found its way back to Kelce.

These days, there’s growing debate surrounding Kelce’s all-time ranking among tight ends. The current Chiefs standout breaking a longtime franchise legend’s touchdowns record on Christmas Day added even more fuel to that fire. Regardless of who the perceived greatest ever is, it’s virtually impossible to leave Kelce off a Mount Rushmore list when factoring in what he does when the lights are shining brightest.

When more is asked of Kelce, he’s able to deliver it. In head coach Andy Reid’s opinion, that’s what makes him the best to do it.

“That’s why he’s the greatest tight end there’s been,” Reid said.