Travis Kelce is the Chiefs’ best chance at stealing the AFC West

Only one player in the NFL has recorded three consecutive games with more than 100 receiving yards, and it wasn’t Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham, Jr., or any other freakishly talented wide receiver.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is the one NFL secondaries are struggling to figure out right now. In a 29-28 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, Kelce was targeted eight times and hauled in all eight passes for 140 yards.

In the summer, Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith talked to Robert Klemko of Sports Illustrated’s MMQB about “Y-Iso.” The formation sends three wide receivers to one side of the field and a tight end to the other, seeking to isolate an athletic playmaker against a defender unable to cover him.

“If a team played man, your tight end is gonna get a safety or a linebacker on him and all the corners are gonna go over there and match up on the receivers,” Smith told MMQB. “The tight end has to be talented enough to win that. That has to be a match up you want, depending on the team you’re playing. There’s probably not many of those match-ups that we don’t look at as favorable with Kelce. He’s that kind of player.”

It was the exact formation the Chiefs used to exploit a one-on-one matchup between Kelce and Falcons safety Keanu Neal for a 35-yard gain early in Week 13:

Neal, a 6’0, 211-pound rookie, plays safety in the Atlanta secondary, but has been asked to line up in one-on-one situations often. While he’s done well in plenty of those matchups, Kelce is a different challenge than most.

“He’s a technician,” Neal said after the game, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He’s smart with his routes. He knows how to play the game. He’s a great tight end. I don’t know what to say. He’s a great route runner. He can play ball. That’s why he’s a Pro Bowler.”

With the win, the Chiefs improved to 9-3 and are hot on the heels of the Oakland Raiders. If Kansas City can win a Thursday Night Football battle with Oakland, the Chiefs would take over the AFC West lead and move into one of the coveted first-round bye spots.

The other team at the top of the AFC are the New England Patriots, who will have to find offense down the stretch without their charismatic tight end who is a nightmare for opposing secondaries.

In Rob Gronkowski’s absence, Kelce is filling the void.

“I never anticipate having a big day,” Kelce said, via the Kansas City Star. “I just go out there and it happens. Me and Alex were on the same page. He was lights-out when it came to getting the ball in my hands, or anybody’s hands at this point.”

After Smith dealt with head injuries earlier in the season, he’s returned to form and Kansas City has scored 59 points in the last two weeks. With Justin Houston back in top form, Eric Berry scoring points all on his own, and the offense avoiding turnovers, the Chiefs are rolling once again

But Kelce is the one on the Chiefs offense who is most difficult to stop. And given the struggles the Raiders have had with tight ends, Kelce could be the Chiefs’ best chance at stealing the AFC West in the final weeks of the season.