It’s not every season that a non-wide receiver leads the NFL with the most receiving yards, but here we are. Over the past few weeks, the league’s leader in receiving yardage has changed and recently flipped from Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill to Seattle’s D.K. Metcalf. But now, there’s a new front runner for the league lead.
With Week 14 in the books, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce now leads the NFL with 1,250 receiving yards. Although, Metcalf is only 70 yards behind him with 1,180, and there’s still plenty of football left; if Kelce can stay in first place over the final three weeks of the 2020 season, he’ll become the first non-WR in NFL history to lead the league with the most receiving yards in a single season.
Yesterday, Kelce made 8 receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown against the Dolphins. For the 2020 season, he has 90 catches for 1,250 yards and 9 TDs.
Kelce has also recorded over 100 yards receiving in six games this season, which ties him for the most by any receiver in 2020 and also ties him for the most in a single season in Chiefs franchise history. His performance against Miami on Sunday was his 25th 100-yard game. He needs one more to tie Pro Football Hall of Famer and Chiefs legend Tony Gonzalez (26) for the most in team history.
In his career, Kelce’s the Chiefs’ second-leading receiver behind Gonzalez with 597 catches for 7,715 yards and 46 touchdowns.
Since being drafted from the University of Cincinnati in 2013, Kelce has built a reputation as a consistent playmaker and a security blanket for his quarterbacks, particularly Patrick Mahomes. The 31-year-old tight end has registered at least one reception in 108 consecutive games, which tie for the fifth-longest active reception streak in the NFL and is second in Chiefs history behind the 131 straight catches made by Tony-G.
Over the years, Kelce has been able to show that he’s much more than just a piece to the Chiefs’ offense. Whenever the team needs a spark, they can count on him to be there when it matters the most. Regardless if it’s making a first down, a huge catch that gains momentum, or bailing his QB out of trouble, he’s always the first guy Mahomes tends to look for.
Kelce is currently on pace to finish the 2020 season with a career-high 109 catches for 1,516 yards and 11 TDs. If he hits these totals, it’ll make a pretty good case for the Offensive Player of the Year award.
Kelce is also a candidate for the Walter Peyton Man of the Year award for his charity organization 87 and Running.
