Was it possible for Chiefs’ Hill and Kelce to get better? It’s happened in the playoffs
The thing is, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce can’t be ranked among the NFL’s top receiver duos because they don’t play the same position.
Not like D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in Seattle or Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen with the Vikings, or Mike Evans and Chris Godwin with the Buccaneers.
But why use labels to limit the list, anyway? When it came to receiving production in 2020, no duo was better than Kelce, the tight end who finished second in yards with 1,416, and Hill, his fellow superstar teammate and wide receiver extraordinaire. Hill was eightth in the league with 1,276 yards.
And then there’s this: Hill’s 15 receiving touchdowns ranked second, Kelce’s 11 tied for fifth.
They’ve found another gear for the playoffs, too. Both men topped 100 receiving yards in the Chiefs’ victories over the Cleveland Browns in the Divisional Round and Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game.
“They’re playing really good football right now,” Chiefs teammate and quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “I’m just taking what’s there, trying to get the ball to the guys in space. I’m never someone who just kind of chooses who I’m throwing to, I just throw it to who’s ever open. Those guys have been getting open and I’ve been able to get them the ball.”
Against the Bills, Kelce finished with a career-best 13 receptions — also the most by any player in a conference championship game ever — and two of them went for touchdowns.
Hill’s 172 receiving yards were a career postseason best for him, and for the Chiefs in a playoff game.
It was all a blur to Bills safety Micah Hyde. “They got guys on the outside, 87 (Kelce) and 10 (Hill), that can kill you,” Hyde said after the game.
The Chiefs’ passing game won’t take Tampa Bay by surprise in the Super Bowl, not like it seemed to in Week 12 of the regular season. That day, Mahomes passed for 462 yards and Hill gained 215 of his career-best 269 in the first quarter alone. Kelce finished with a stout 82.
“You go back and you look at the game and what matchups you had,” Bucs coach Bruce Arians said. “I’m not really excited playing Tyreek Hill and Kelce and Mahomes. That’s a formidable challenge, but our guys will be up for it.”
Hill joked this past week that he didn’t pile up even more yards because he “got tired of running.” What really happened is the Buccaneers adjusted their defense, dropping safeties deeper and not allowing Hill to get behind their secondary. It worked. The Chiefs, after opening a 17-0 lead, hung on to win 27-24.
“The last time, the Bucs worked double-teams against us on those two, so we’ve got to work on that and make sure we’ve got those things covered there,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said.
In that regard, the good news for the Chiefs is the possible return of Sammy Watkins. The team’s No. 2 wide receiver missed KC’s first two playoff games with a calf injury, and six games in the middle of the regular season with a sore hamstring.
Watkins is capable of making big plays and has been valuable when healthy. He led the Chiefs in playoff receiving yards last year, with 288, and has posted two 100-yard games in his six playoff appearances.
Also, it’s not as if Mahomes has ignored others at the expense of Hill and Kelce. Against the Browns, Mahomes sent 17 targets to five others, and Mecole Hardman had the game’s longest gain at 42 yards. Hardman also had a touchdown reception against the Bills. And Byron Pringle has started the Chiefs’ two playoff games this year in place of Watkins, grabbing five receptions.
Still, the obvious focus in the playoffs and for this Super Bowl are the players who have proved nearly unstoppable, Hill and Kelce.
“I’m sure the Bucs have seen that, as well,” Mahomes said. “I’m sure they’ll have a game plan to slow those guys down and we’ll have to adjust to that.”
This story was originally published February 1, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Was it possible for Chiefs’ Hill and Kelce to get better? It’s happened in the playoffs."