Not even halfway through the AFC Championship Game in Baltimore, Travis Kelce broke Jerry Rice’s record for most postseason receptions in NFL history.
The 34-year-old went into Sunday’s game with 145 receptions, 1,694 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns in his playoff career, trailing the Hall of Famer Rice in each category.
With seven early catches, Kelce brought his tally up to 152, surpassing Rice’s 151 before halftime. Kelce also scored the game’s first points with a touchdown, bringing him eight shy of Rice’s 29 playoff touchdown receptions.
Kelce achieved the feat in front of his family and popstar girlfriend Taylor Swift, who is attending her 12th Chiefs game of the season.
After breaking the record, the NFL shared a graphic which referenced Swift’s 2022 album ‘Midnights’ to honor Kelce’s achievement. The rendition, which they captioned ‘Playoff Receptions Record (Travis’ Version)’ featured a closeup picture of Kelce, with the text written in Chiefs colors and a picture of Rice on the left hand side.
Travis Kelce broke Jerry Rice’s record for postseason catches against the Ravens on Sunday
The NFL referenced Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights’ album to honor her boyfriend’s playoff record
Swift watched Kelce get seven catches and a touchdown early in the AFC championship game
Before Sunday, Kelce scored two crucial touchdowns to break a seven-game scoring drought
Before Sunday, Kelce broke a seven-game scoring drought by tallying two touchdowns in an all-time classic with the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round.
Against Buffalo, Kelce totaled five receptions for 75 yards in his 12th consecutive playoff game with at least five catches. Having caught seven passes early in Baltimore, Kelce tied Julian Edelman (13 consecutive games) for the longest streak of five-reception games in the postseason.
After connecting for both touchdowns against the Bills, Kelce and Patrick Mahomes became the highest-scoring quarterback-receiver duo in playoff history. They have now connected for 17 postseason touchdowns after surpassing Gronkowski and Tom Brady’s 15.
There may be more records to break for Kelce as he is a touchdown away from surpassing Rob Gronkowski in postseason games with multiple touchdown receptions. While both tight ends are tied with four, overtaking Gronkowski would tie Kelce on top with Rice’s five.
Kelce is also edging closer to Rice’s 2,245 playoff receiving yards.
A win against Baltimore will set Kansas City up on their second straight Super Bowl appearance with a chance to win back-to-back titles.
