Turning Back Time: Travis Kelce Discusses Massive Divisional Round Performance, What's Next for KC

Travis Kelce put up a vintage performance against the Houston Texans. Now, the Chiefs are going back to the AFC championship game.

Jan 18, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) reacts after catching a pass for a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the fourth quarter of a 2025 AFC divisional round game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs are going to their seventh consecutive AFC championship game after defeating the Houston Texans in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs on Saturday, winning 23-14. The star of Kansas City's offense was an unsurprising one, despite his age.

Tight end Travis Kelce, at age 35, was quarterback Patrick Mahomes's favorite target on Saturday as Kelce hauled in seven catches for 117 yards and a touchdown, recording nearly half of Mahomes's 16 completions and the vast majority of Mahomes's 177 passing yards.

After the game, Kelce sat down with Scott Van Pelt of ESPN to discuss his massive game and how the Chiefs will prepare for the AFC championship game and a potential chance to complete the NFL's first-ever three-peat.

Van Pelt noted that Kelce rolled his eyes at Van Pelt's suggestion that Kelce has continually been able to "dial it up on call" when the spotlight has been on the veteran tight end. Looking for a glimpse of how the Chiefs continue to produce playoff success, Van Pelt asked Kelce what 60 minutes of playoff football mean to him and the reigning back-to-back champions.

"Well, I mean, I feel like if you're going to step out here on the football field, you've always got something to prove," Kelce said. "I wish it was something like it was just a flip of the switch, I could just turn it on like that, but I think it was everybody in that building all week long, really the past two to three weeks, figuring out how to get our bodies the best rest and ready for the playoffs for a run like this. Man, we came out firing on all cylinders today and it felt really good."

As the ESPN postgame broadcast showed the replay of Mahomes's falling touchdown pass to Kelce, Van Pelt asked Kelce what allows Mahomes to be so successful in the biggest moments.

"Man, I'll tell you what, man, he puts in so much work," Kelce said. "From the mental aspect throughout the week and then, on top of that, while we're out on the field, he makes sure he gets all the throws, and I just try and match that energy for him and be there for him at all times because it's Patrick Mahomes, man. Anything can happen at any point in time."

WHAT. A. TOUCHDOWN!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/6Ch2lUfLp7

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) January 18, 2025

After chants of "three-peat" from fans remaining at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Van Pelt noted that the Chiefs are now just two wins away from making NFL history. What goes into the next step for the Chiefs?

"Well, in the playoffs, everything gets faster and everything gets a little bit more physical as you get further along in the playoffs," Kelce said. "The AFC championship is always going to be one of the biggest challenges that you ever have. Looking at who the opponents would be, [the Baltimore Ravens or Buffalo Bills], those are two of the best teams in the National Football League, for sure. They've got a lot of talent all across the board, but especially at that quarterback position, so anything can happen. And how you get ready for it is you just, you don't look ahead. You focus on what you can do throughout the week to get your body ready, to get mentally ready, and get ready to go out there and just play your tail off for the guy next to you."

Read More: Four Takeaways from the Kansas City Chiefs' 23-14 Win Over the Houston Texans