Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had a Christmas to remember this year. In a game that streamed live on Netflix, Kelce was on the same page with Patrick Mahomes all day as KC left Pittsburgh with a 29-10 victory.
The Chiefs now sit at 15-1 and will hold the AFC’s No. 1 seed in the upcoming NFL Playoffs. In addition to the team-wide accomplishment, the 35-year-old tight end also achieved a major milestone of his own on Wednesday.
Kelce recorded eight receptions for 84 yards and one touchdown on Christmas Day. And that one score will go down in the Chiefs’ record books, as it moved him past NFL legend Tony Gonzalez for the most receiving touchdowns (77) in Kansas City history.
The 12th-year tight end also made league-wide history in this one. After entering the game with 89 catches this year, he now has 97 receptions after reeling in eight on Wednesday. That means he has recorded at least 90 catches in each of his last seven NFL seasons, the most in consecutive seasons in league history.
After the game, while being presented by Netflix with a commemorative football that actually turned out to be a red velvet cake, Kelce was asked about his record-breaking reception.
NFL Network’s Stacey Dales, who was a part of Netflix’s superstar broadcast lineup on Wednesday, asked Kelce about what the historic moment meant to him:
“I mean, it’s everything to me,” Kelce replied. “Tony has been a mentor to me. He’s been there right there for me. Any questions I’ve ever had, I feel like I’m still trying to fill that guy’s shoe. He’s such an unbelievable competitor, and I got so much love for him, and it’s just an honor to even be in conversations with him.”
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For what it’s worth, Travis Kelce has broken a number of Tony Gonzalez records this season. In Week 14, the Chiefs TE surpassed Gonzalez as the fastest tight end to reach 12,000 receiving yards, doing it in 172 games compared to the legend’s 210.
Earlier this season, Kelce also broke the Hall of Famer’s pass receptions and receiving yards records with the Chiefs.
While Kelce has one-upped Gonzalez in a number of instances this 2024, though, it’s clear the Chiefs TE has all the respect and admiration in the world for the team icon.
