The Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce connection looked as though it was in for a big day Sunday, as the Kansas City Chiefs‘ quarterback hit the tight end for a 48-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage against the Miami Dolphins in Week 3. But things slowed down significantly after that.
Kelce finished the game with just two grabs for 59 yards, though the second reception came on an 11-yard play in the fourth quarter to extend the Chiefs’ seven-point lead to 14 points and essentially seal a third consecutive win for Kansas City to start the season. The Chiefs will now remain undefeated through the month of September.
Mahomes spoke candidly about his longtime pass-catching partner following the contest.
“Travis making the play. He caught the first pass and the last pass,” Mahomes said, per Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports. “Battling through when his number was called.”
Former NFL All-Pro Claims Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes All the Way Back, Best Player in World
Both Mahomes and Kelce appear to be back to their championship forms from a couple years ago.
Mahomes went 20-of-24 for 246 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the team’s win in South Florida on Sunday. For the season, he has totaled 812 yards passing, seven TDs and two INTs.
“Nothing happens without No. 15,” Kyle Long of CBS Sports said of Mahomes on Sunday morning. “And this past week [against the Indianapolis Colts], what we saw from Patrick Mahomes was the greatest quarterback on our planet right now. And he’s back to being him. That’s what’s on my mind. The league is on notice.”
Tight End Travis Kelce Off to Strong Start Amid Chiefs’ Undefeated Run Through September
Kelce, meanwhile, returned for his 14th season fresh off his wedding to Taylor Swift in good shape, good health and motivated to end his career on a better note than the six-win season the team mustered in the wake of Mahomes’ ACL injury in late 2025.
He tallied 12 catches fo 172 yards and a touchdown over the team’s first two wins of the season. Kelce has now put together 14 grabs for 231 yards and two scores through three contests, all of them victories.
Kansas City next heads to Las Vegas for a Week 4 showdown with the NFC West rival Raiders. Should the Raiders win on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, they will also be 3-0 to start the year, which will set up a showdown for first-place in the division next Sunday afternoon.
The Chiefs will then host the winless Los Angeles Chargers in Week 5 before another two-game road trip, during which they will play the Seattle Seahawks and the reigning NFC West Division champion Denver Broncos.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Issues Tough Message on Travis Kelce