Amid the Kansas City Chiefs’ 31-10 blowout of the Denver Broncos in Week 1, tight end Travis Kelce etched his name further into the stone of NFL history.
He didn’t set any speed records on the big catch-and-run Kelce had in the second half, but he did inch closer to legendary Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez on the all-time tight end receiving list.
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Chiefs’ Travis Kelce moves into second place for all-time tight end receiving yards | NFL.com
Predictably, Kelce downplayed the individual milestone when
speaking to ESPN’s Laura Rutledge after the game.
“It’s a good feeling to get this win, all the other stuff is just hoopla now,” he said.
Kelce caught a 59-yard pass from old friend Patrick Mahomes in the third quarter to put him past longtime Dallas Cowboys stalwart Jason Witten for second all-time. Ahead of Monday’s season opener, Kelce had 13,002 yards, needing 45 to surpass Witten (13,046).
The catch was a turn-back-the-clock moment for Kelce, standing as his longest reception since Week 15, 2021, when he turned in a 69-yarder versus the Los Angeles Chargers.
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There was punctuation as well – Mahomes found rookie running back Emmett Johnson for 25 yards on a third down, setting up a flip-toss touchdown to Walker for a 31-10 lead to put the game out of reach. Mahomes improved to 8-0 at home against Denver in his career, one of the longest home streaks for any quarterback against any opponent. After his shaky start, Mahomes went 11-for-13 for 145 yards and two touchdowns to pull away.
Kenneth Walker III, Patrick Mahomes lead Chiefs’ win vs. Broncos | ESPN
Mahomes’ toughness and athleticism were on display on his 10th snap, as he scrambled out of the pocket and dove — while being hit by two defenders — for a 15-yard touchdown. His top speed during that scramble reached 15.8 mph, which was 2.5 mph faster than his average speed on rushing attempts last season, according to Next Gen Stats.
“Going for the end zone, it kind of gave me that confidence that I can go out there and be myself,” said Mahomes, who underwent surgery in December to repair a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee. “I just wanted to play. I had done so much rehab and so much work to put myself in this position. I just wanted to get out there and play. This is what you do it for.
“That was definitely the moment, physically, to say all this work has paid off. I didn’t feel anything.”
From front to back, Chiefs’ defense brought the heat against the Denver Broncos | The Kansas City Star
The Broncos finished with 176 total yards and nine first downs. They rushed for 61 and went 2 of 12 on third-down conversions.
“Our third down numbers weren’t good, our rushing numbers weren’t good, pick your spots,” Broncos head coach Sean Payton said.
Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, who returned to Kansas City after spending the previous two seasons with the Tennessee Titans, said Monday’s performance should end any doubt about this defense’s capability.
“We come into a new season trying to figure out where we’re at, and we come out and play like this,” Sneed said. “This should build great confidence.”
Kansas City Chiefs manage to deliver rushing performance at Arrowhead Stadium not seen in 10 years | Yahoo! Sports
This rushing performance also made a bit of history for the Chiefs, as it marked the first time in 10 years that they had rushed for 220 yards at Arrowhead Stadium.
Ironically, their last 200-yard+ rushing performance at home came against the Denver Broncos as well, as the team rushed for 238 yards on Christmas Day 2016.
What makes this stat even more prevalent is that both games resulted in the Chiefs picking up wins with almost identical scorelines.
The Chiefs’ 2026 opener saw them beat the Broncos 31-10, while their Christmas Day outing in 2016 saw them defeat the Broncos 33-10.
Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid proves he still has his fastball after dusting off a play from the 1930s for RB Kenneth Walker | A to Z Sports
Week 1 against Denver, the Chiefs pulled out a play from even earlier. This time it was a 1936 play the team watched on grainy black-and-white film and mastered throughout training camp. The play, dubbed “Heisman,” resulted in a 2-yard touchdown reception for RB Kenneth Walker. It included QB Justin Fields, QB Patrick Mahomes, and TE Travis Kelce aligned in the backfield in a one-point stance.
Kansas City, of course, has run other trick plays over the years. You’ll remember “Corn Dog”, “Snow Globe”, “Bloated Tebow Pass“, and “Hungry Pig Right.” All of these plays were hallmarks of Reid’s tenure with the Chiefs, and those moments captured what it was like to have fun playing football in Kansas City. He brought that back again with this latest iteration in Week 1’s 30-10 win.
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This Eagles offensive lineman admits he was ‘a complete liability’ and needed to be shut down | The Athletic
Dickerson confirmed while speaking on his Monday night radio show on 94.1 WIP that the Eagles had informed him of their plan to place him on injured reserve. “I was a complete liability yesterday,” Dickerson said. “I know I said earlier in camp, I shouldn’t be out there until I feel healthy.”
The Eagles lineman said he has bone bruising in his right knee and was told it would not heal if he kept “banging it up,” and that he needed to shut it down. Dickerson said the injury occurred when he “got rolled up on in practice” a few weeks ago. He had hoped that the injury would improve. He underwent imaging on Monday, when it was determined that time off would be the “best plan going forward.”
Sources: Drew Brees mulled playing for Broncos in AFC title game | ESPN
After the Denver Broncos lost starting quarterback Bo Nix to a fractured ankle in their overtime playoff victory against the Buffalo Bills, Denver’s then-offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and offensive assistant Pete Carmichael had discussions with Brees about the former star quarterback coming out of retirement to be ready for the AFC Championship Game, sources told ESPN.
Brees had turned 47 years old just two days before Nix sustained the ankle injury Jan. 17. Brees spoke to Lombardi and Carmichael, his longtime assistant coaches with the New Orleans Saints, early in the week ahead of Denver’s AFC Championship Game showdown against the New England Patriots, telling them that he wanted to first work out to see how his body would respond.
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3 takeaways from the Chiefs’ season-opening beatdown of the Broncos
The pass game will open up
It took a while for the Chiefs’ offense to get over 15 passing yards. It was almost comical how much of the offense’s output was on Walker’s shoulders for much of the game. In the first half, Mahomes had just two completions over 12 pass attempts; neither catch resulted in a first down.
In the second half, Mahomes was much more efficient. He completed 13 of 15 passes; eight of those catches resulted in a first down or a touchdown.
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