Chiefs’ Travis Kelce makes postseason history, snags 4th-down pass from QB Mahomes

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce continues to make NFL history, this time with a crucial fourth-down conversion — and touchdown — against the Cincinnati Bengals that put the Chiefs up 13-3 on Sunday.

After passing Rob Gronkowski for the third highest receiving-yard total in NFL history in the first quarter, Kelce tied Gronkowski for a different honor with his touchdown catch in the second.

With the Chiefs facing a fourth-and-1 at the Bengals’ 14-yard line, Kelce found space one-on-one in the back of the end zone. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes rolled to his right and extended the play before firing the ball to his trusty tight end, who hauled in the reception.

The record-book aspect? Kelce has now tied Gronkowski for the second most postseason touchdown receptions in league history.

Kelce, who had four catches for 55 yards and a score at the time of his touchdown, has 15 postseason scores, with three coming this year.

In both cases, yards and touchdowns, Jerry Rice ranks first on the all-time list. The NFL Hall of Fame wideout posted 2,245 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns in his postseason career.

While Kelce’s early success was no surprise, there was a bit of drama surrounding his status for the game ... although it was quickly quieted once Sunday rolled around.

Kelce appeared on the Chiefs’ injury report as a surprise inclusion on Friday. He was listed as questionable with a back injury, which reportedly occurred during practice.

However, Kelce obviously did not appear on the inactives list for the game. Even before that, Kelce was spotted running routes on the field and fist-bumping trainer Rick Burkholder, per The Star’s Blair Kerkhoff.

Record-setting performances are nothing new for Kelce, who had a notable performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL’s Divisional Round.

The star tight end recorded 14 catches against the Jaguars for 98 yards and two touchdowns. The 14 catches set an NFL record for receptions by a tight end in a playoff game.

Kelce also moved into second on the all-time postseason receptions list, eclipsing Julian Edelman (118) in the game agains the Jaguars.