Travis Kelce becomes the Chiefs' career receptions leader with 7 catches against the Chargers

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Travis Kelce not only showed Sunday that rumors of his death were somewhat exaggerated, he also became the Kansas City Chiefs' career receptions leader.

Kelce had seven receptions for 89 yards while the Chiefs rallied for one 17:10 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. With his second catch, he passed Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez and secured the franchise tag.

Kelce declined to speak to reporters in the locker room after the game.

Although Kelce got off to a slow start Statistically speaking, coach Andy Reid didn't put much emphasis on Kelce needing a breakout game in his first three games this season, in which he had just eight catches for 69 yards.

“To be honest, I really don’t care what anyone thinks,” Reid said. “I watch what the defense does and how they respect him and so I take it from that. And I watch Trav every day to see how he works, how he never wants to come out in training and in games. He’s totally panicking all the time, so I’m not worried about it.”

Kansas City's wide receivers also showed their support by wearing custom Kelce t-shirts during pregame warmups.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who attributed Kelce's slow start to the extra attention he received from opposing defenses, also wasn't particularly shocked that his favorite target didn't get any balls early on.

“I mean, the whole Kelce thing generally hasn’t worried me,” Mahomes said. “I know whatever we need, he’s going to make plays. And that’s what he did today.”

Nine-time Pro Bowl tight end hauled in a 38-yard reception on the third play of Kansas City's first drive, tying the record of 916 catches set by Gonzalez in 12 seasons from 1997 to 2008. Kelce then caught a 5-yard pass on the Chiefs' fourth drive, breaking the record set at the start of his own 12th season with the team. He now has 922 receptions.

“They played quite a bit of zone out there, and Kelce did a good job just getting in the windows,” Reid said. “When they played the man, he could do a good job there. There weren't as many double teams as he may have seen, and it didn't sink in as much as he saw. He did very well.”

Taylor Swift wasn't in attendance at SoFi Stadium to see her boyfriend's latest accomplishment, who ranks fourth in NFL history for receptions by a tight end. Kelce trails Gonzalez — who finished with 1,325 catches after playing five seasons with Atlanta following his Chiefs career — along with Jason Witten and Antonio Gates.

After top receiver, the veteran may need to take on an even larger role in the Champions' offense Rashee Rice injured her right knee in a collision with Mahomes during an interception return. The game began when Mahomes knocked Kelce downfield, allowing Kristian Fulton to intercept the pass.

“If Rashee goes out, you have to get Kelce back in a situation where he can make big catches,” Mahomes said. “The Chargers took away some of the outside players and left the middle of the field open.”

Kelce, who turns 35 on Saturday, is closing in on two more Kansas City franchise records.

He has 74 touchdown receptions, trailing only Gonzalez's 77. Kelce's 77 total touchdowns are seven shy of Priest Holmes' Chiefs record of 84.

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AP Sports Writer Joe Reedy contributed to this report.

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