Sunday night against the Texans was the kind of game that pours gasoline on every “Travis Kelce is washed” takeout there. For the first time in his Hall of Fame career, Kelce finished a game with more drops than catches, putting two crucial balls on the turf and hauling in just one pass for eight yards in a 20-10 loss.

One of those drops in the fourth quarter turned into an Azeez Al-Shaair interception and prime Houston field position, a brutal snapshot in a season where Kelce leads the Chiefs in drops and Kansas City’s passing game has looked shockingly mortal.

After the loss, Patrick Mahomes did not distance himself from his tight end. Instead, he framed the season as something he is savoring with a teammate whose career clock is loudly ticking.

“Every season I've had with him the

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