close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

NBC’s Rodney Harrison said Travis Kelce is no longer a ‘great’ player after the Chiefs’ win
news

NBC’s Rodney Harrison said Travis Kelce is no longer a ‘great’ player after the Chiefs’ win

Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce’s slow start to the young season has fans and analysts concerned about the tight end’s future in the league.

Kelce finished with four catches for 30 yards in Sunday’s 22-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons, which was his best stat line through three games this year. It still paled in comparison to what Kelce has consistently produced in previous seasons.

The 12th-year veteran has taken most of the blame for his lackluster performances thus far, with NBC analyst Rodney Harrison even going so far as to say he’s not a “great” player anymore.

Harrison joined the Sunday evening football crew after the Chiefs victory and gave his reason.

“He’s busy, he’s busy,” Harrison said. “If you think about it, he’s doing a lot of different things — media-wise, he’s playing football, he’s got other things going on. . . But when you’re in that situation, you’ve got to forget about everything, you’ve got to focus 100 percent on football, and that’s the biggest responsibility. I mean, guys have been making plays on him, you see Jessie Bates did a great job tonight, and he just doesn’t have the same speed. He’s still a good player, but I don’t think he’s a great, great player.”

Kelce, who turns 35 in October, is coming off a poor season in which he recorded 989 receiving yards, his first sub-1,000-yard campaign since 2015. The three-time Super Bowl champion has eight catches for 69 yards this year and, admittedly, he’s not making the plays he’s used to on the field.

For example, on a crucial third down in the fourth quarter, Patrick Mahomes found Kelce on a short-yardage pass that Kelce normally would have converted into a first down. This time, however, he couldn’t hold on to the ball, as Falcons defensive back Jessie Bates came from behind to knock it out.

Let’s hope the All-Pro tight end regains his confidence soon.