KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A special element of the Chiefs offense this season has Coach Andy Reid smiling and laughing more than once.
“He’s been doing it for a few years,” Reid said Monday of tight end Travis Kelce. “We are practicing every day. This is not something we throw on game day. That’s what we do. As long as you complete them, everything is fine.”
Kelce, a 12-year veteran, has an outstanding resume. He is a future Hall of Famer, a three-time Super Bowl champion and tight end who holds the record for most touchdown receptions in Chiefs history (76, tied with Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez).
But this season, Kelce has added another wrinkle to his game. He executed the lateral pass perfectly.
Kelce’s most memorable highlight from the Chiefs’ win over the rival Las Vegas Raiders on Friday was when he dodged a tackle in the middle of the field by throwing the ball back to Samaje Perine for a crucial first down.
“Yeah, man, right place, right time,” Kelce said on Wednesday’s episode of “New Heights,” the podcast he hosts with his brother Jason. “I’m glad it worked. … It was just an instinct I had and I was lucky to get some new downs.”
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Kelce had no trouble with Reid this season as he successfully executed two lateral attempts, throwing the ball to Perine each time to help the Chiefs reach the red zone.
“It kind of started as a joke,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said of Kelce’s combination of skill and boldness. “That’s enough. thing. As long as he gets it done, the coach will let him keep doing it.”
The return of the side! pic.twitter.com/tdHOScHOLH
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) November 29, 2024
that thing Helped the Chiefs score their lone touchdown against the Raiders in the second quarter, just before the two-minute warning. On 3rd-and-10 just outside the red zone, Mahomes completed a short pass to Kelce, who immediately made eye contact with Perine, who was released into the flat out of the backfield. In an unusual move, Kelce jumped forward and threw a pass like Mahomes, giving Perrin a perfect spiral.
The Arrowhead Stadium crowd roared as Perine finished the play with a 15-yard gain. Perine acknowledged, pointing back at Kelce like an NBA player acknowledging his point guard after an assist on a fast break.
“Don’t forget he was a (high school) quarterback,” Amazon Prime analyst Kirk Herbstreit said of Kelce after the highlight. “That is a no look (pass). It’s just a feeling. It’s a messy thing to do in practice, but then you get so comfortable that suddenly you can reveal it and do it in the game. “That ball was thrown perfectly.”
Three plays later, Mahomes threw a perfect lob pass to receiver Justin Watson for a 6-yard touchdown.
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After the game, some analysts and fans wondered if Kelce’s lateral was designed as part of the Chiefs’ play calling.
“It’s not designed at all,” Mahomes said. “(Kelce’s) the only one who would do it. “Sometimes it may seem intentional, but he’s been in this offense for so long that it’s more important to know where the guys running the other routes are.”
Mahomes said he hoped Kelce would gain at least eight yards on the play so Reed could convince the offense to stay on the field for a fourth down.
A similar scenario occurred during the Chiefs’ win over the New Orleans Saints in early October. In the second quarter, the Chiefs faced a third-and-21. Mahomes threw a short pass to Kelce, who lured three defenders in the middle of the field before making an underhand throw to Perine.
Kelce at the stadium on the 3rd and 22nd 😂
📺: #NOvsKC On ESPN
📱: Streaming #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/PW8dXNhIrx— NFL (@NFL) October 8, 2024
“When I saw that, I thought: ‘Dang!’“It’s typical Kelce to make a play when the team needs it,” right guard Trey Smith said after the game. “That was really cool. Anytime you see that, it’s really cool.”
The Chiefs gained 20 yards on the play and Reid kept the offense on the field, converting a fourth-and-1 snap to continue the drive.
Perine said with a smile. “I’ve seen him practice a few times. I was just staying there just in case. Sure enough, I saw him switch the ball to his right hand and wrap his arm back. I’m ready for it.”
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Kelce’s first time playing on the wing came in the Chiefs’ comeback win over the Detroit Lions during their 2019 championship season. With the Chiefs near midfield, Mahomes rolled to his right in the fourth quarter and connected with Kelce, who caught the ball in the midfield area. After Kelce realized he would be tackled before he could gain yards after the reception, he passed the ball back to running back LeSean McCoy, who gained an additional 23 yards for a 33-yard highlight run. The Chiefs finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Aside from his post-game desperation, Kelce has passed the ball down the wing to his teammates five times since the start of the 2019 season, according to TruMedia. Excluding the Chiefs, only six teams have had more offensive wide plays than Kelce during that span. And only four teams have more than Kelce’s four in the first half.
“This is the most underused rule in the game,” Kelce said of the aspect on his podcast. “I think I heard (NFL Network broadcaster) Rich Eisen mention it early in my career. I’m like ‘Damn, he doesn’t lie. It would be great if we turned it over every play here.’ “Soccer was always like that.”
Travis Kelce is dangerous in the middle of the field because he can predict where defenders should be and can gauge the gap between defenders and teammates. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Kelce knows the best scenario to pull off his tricks. He has enough experience to predict when the opposing defense will play soft zone coverage. He also caught enough passes in the middle of the field to be able to predict where certain defenders should be and the gap between them and his teammates.
“Or you catch them in man-to-man (coverage) and you beat the defender and now all of a sudden you find there’s only one guy on every different route around you,” Kelce said on the podcast. “Ironically, that’s what happened last year (against Buffalo).”
It didn’t matter, but Kelce’s wideout late in the fourth quarter of last season’s loss to the Bills was probably his biggest mid-play assist.
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Kelce surprised everyone at Arrowhead when he lateraled across the field to receiver Kadarius Toney, who appeared to score the go-ahead touchdown as the fans cheered indefinitely. But the viral highlight was marred by a penalty kick. Toney was lined up in the neutral zone and called for an offside play.
“Honestly, it was an incredible decision,” Kelce said on a podcast a few days after the game. “I got (the ball), headed upfield, saw the safety single high and knew it was man coverage and I knew I had broken the blocking angle of the man chasing me.
“When I broke the safety angle, I knew there was only one (defender) left on the other side of the field. I knew from the route he was running that (Toney) was out there and out of the corner of my eye I saw him in a lateral position. I knew if I could get him the ball, he would have room for a touchdown.”
TRAVIS KELCE answered the phone from Tony.
(via @NFL)
https://t.co/KIYYNAopAy— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 11, 2023
The next time Kelce tried out for the side was in late July during training camp. During his time with the team, Kelce experimented with arm angles such as underhand, end-over-end throws and two-handed chest passes to flank running back Isiah Pacheco.
Perrin, a seven-year veteran, joined the Chiefs on Aug. 30, less than a week before the team’s season opener against the Baltimore Ravens. In his first practice with the Chiefs, Perine was stunned when Kelce passed him the ball on the lateral.
“He’s playing soccer in the backyard.” Perine said with a smile. “Just experiencing it firsthand was truly unbelievable. But it’s fun.”
(Photo: Jay Biggerstaff / Imagn Images)
