The Kansas City Chiefs are officially on the inside of the playoff race in the AFC following their 28-7 victory over the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football. While it wasn't the prettiest all-around effort for the defending AFC champs, the offense found its groove in the second half, running away from the Commanders over the final 30 minutes, turning what was a tie game at the break into a comfortable victory for the home team.
While the efforts of Rashee Rice cannot be understated, the wide receiver was far from the only player for Kansas City's offense to have a standout showing as Travis Kelce not only matched the Chiefs' franchise record for touchdowns scored with 83, tying Priest Holmes, but the star tight end did something he hadn't accomplished since Week 3 of the 2023 campaign.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Kelce reeled in six receptions on eight targets for 99 yards and a touchdown against Washington. What made this a performance to remember for Kelce was that all his production came against zone coverage, marking the most receiving yards the future Hall of Famer has recorded in a single game against zone coverage since he hung 103 yards on the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023.
Travis Kelce Shows Ability to be Zone Buster for Chiefs' Offense
Judging from the way the offense has looked over the last two weeks, it seems safe to say that Kansas City has unlocked its full potential on that side of the ball with the return of Rice. Monday night, the wideout was a huge reason why the Chiefs were able to pull away in the second half, finishing with 105 all-purpose yards and a score.
What Rice's presence all over the field for Kansas City also did was open up holes in the defense for Kelce to provide Patrick Mahomes with a clean target, one that the QB connected with six times on the night. This is something that Kelce needs to continue to incorporate into his game over the second half of the season.
As the post from NFL Next Gen Stats showed, Kelce typically isn't as much of a zone buster as he proved to be on Monday night against the Commanders. If Kelce can take advantage of the attention opposing defenses will have to pay to Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Hollywood Brown on the outside, not only will the tight end put up monster numbers, but the Chiefs will be that much more difficult to slow down.
Kelce's football IQ is one of his best attributes. It was put on display against the Commanders as the veteran turned a play where he was only supposed to be a blocker into a 38-yard gain after realizing the situation and opening up to make himself a checkdown target for Mahomes. That will only help him continue to be a weapon that the opposition will struggle to contain when they go zone against this high-powered Kansas City offense.
With the way this offense is humming along following Rice's return, the Chiefs will be more than happy to let opposing defenses pick their poison when deciding how to defend this passing attack.