Patrick Mahomes Explains Why Travis Kelce Isn't Getting as Many Catches This Season

Mar. 15, 2025

Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.Photo:Carmen Mandato/Getty; Michael Owens/Getty

Carmen Mandato/Getty; Michael Owens/Getty

Kansas City Chiefs tight endTravis Kelcecontinued to struggle to get touches during week 3 — and now quarterbackPatrick Mahomeshas weighed in on the matter.

“It’s crazy because the respect factor teams have for Travis is unreal, and it’s well-deserved,” Mahomessaid during media availabilityfollowing the team’s third consecutive win, this time against the Atlanta Falcons. “We’re calling a lot of plays for Travis and it’s like two or three [defenders] are going to him. That’s the great thing about him is he wants to make an impact on the game but he wants to win at the end of the day.”

Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.Ralf Ibing - firo sportphoto/Getty

Ralf Ibing - firo sportphoto/Getty

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Mahomes continued, “I’m going to do my best to keep feeding him the ball whenever he’s there, whenever he’s open. I think the more Rashee [Rice] makes plays, the more we’re able to run the football, the more we can get [Xavier] Worthy involved, I think that’s going to open Travis up more. People are really emphasizing taking him away and that’s getting other guys open.”

Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes.Steve Sanders/Kansas City Chiefs via AP

Steve Sanders/Kansas City Chiefs via AP

On last week’s episode of hisNew Heightspodcast with brotherJason Kelce, Travis said he has learned not to stress about early-in-the-season, underwhelming performances.

“I used to get really, really pissed off and almost lose my cool a lot of the time from not having that success knowing that I demand that out of myself and I just like to play the game to such a high level of accountability that it’s just tough for me to deal with being mediocre or having stats that represent that,” Kelce said.

He continued, adding ““For whatever reason, these past two games it hasn’t gone that way for me and that’s football, man. I’m not about to sit here and get frustrated about it.”

In one clipon X, Kelce kept his head down and rubbed at his eye while seated on the sidelines.

The NFL star was also seen looking nonplussed during a conversation with his quarterback in footage from the game.

Fans took notice of Kelce’s mood, sharing the clip and commenting on his apparent frustration. One userwrote, “Free Travis Kelce man,” while anothersaid, “You’ll find those routes again, Travis. No doubt… You already know…#ChiefsKingdom.”

source: people.com