The Kansas City Chiefs‘ tight end Travis Kelce is not exactly having the ideal season on the gridiron. While the TE himself acknowledged not having played up to his standards, the fans and coaches still seem to have shown their faith in the football player. The Pro Bowl participants list is out, and surely Kelce has made his way into it with the votes of players, coaches, and football fans.
He has been included in the Pro Bowl list for the ninth straight season. While expectations will be soaring high for him due to the experience he brings to that table, will Kelce actually be able to grab a win at the Pro Bowl?
Three reasons why Travis Kelce might not win the Pro Bowl!
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The league released the names of four tight ends for the Pro Bowl Games on Wednesday. The list includes 49ers George Kittle, & Lions Sam LaPorta from the NFC; and Chiefs Travis Kelce & Browns David Njoku from the AFC. Kittle received 373,750 votes, while Kelce received 327,263 fan votes, ranking the Chiefs TE fifth among all players.
This is his ninth time being selected for the Pro Bowl in a row. However, now the question is will he be able to win the Pro Bowl this time? Many analysts and football enthusiasts state three reasons Kelce might not win the NFL Pro Bowl in 2024. One is his recurring injury issues.
Kelce’s contusion or stringer in his left elbow from the Week 15 game raised concerns about whether he will play in Week 16 or not. Later, he was listed on the IR for a neck injury too. Despite all these injuries, he returned to the field every time. But Andy Reid might consider resting him in their last regular games against the Chargers. Similarly, the severity and the nature of injuries might impact his participation in the Pro Bowl games this time.
2023 Pro Bowl Tight Ends:
– #49ers George Kittle
– #Lions Sam LaPorta– #Chiefs Travis Kelce
– #Browns David Njoku https://t.co/lleCeTpLax pic.twitter.com/SowjjlTLYM— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 4, 2024
Furthermore, as a significant player on his team, Kelce has been tackled more often this season than in the past. He has been marked by more opponents this time, as Pat McAfee also highlighted that Kelce has been experiencing triple blockages in almost every game. And probably this is one of the reasons behind his underwhelming performance this year.
Read more: Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce Among the 5 Representatives for Kansas City Chiefs for Pro Bowl
Finally, when we compare his statistics with the rest, it suggests that Kelce might not win the Pro Bowl this season. The TE scored just 5 touchdowns, while Kittle and Njoku have 6 each, and LaPorta has 9. Kelce has 984 receiving yards, while Kittle has 1020. The average yard per catch is 10.6, which is the lowest among Pro Bowl nominees for Kelce, tying with LaPorta, and less than Kittle and Njoku.
These players have each fumbled and lost once, with Njoku having more this season (2). Kelce has started in fewer games than all three, 15 times compared to their 16 times so far in this season. Therefore, based on these reasons, many believe that Kelce might not win the Pro Bowl 2024. However, some surely have faith that Kelce might win the Pro Bowl this time, backing the opinion based on two reasons.
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Two reasons in favor of Travis Kelce winning the Pro Bowl
Travis Kelce’s ninth consecutive pick for the Pro Bowl is the longest ongoing streak in the NFL. This season he scored 5 receiving touchdowns, caught 93 passes, and has a total of 984 yards.
If he can gain 16 more yards in the next game against the Chargers, he will reach 1000 or more receiving yards for the eighth consecutive season, and he already leads the franchise in career receiving yards. Furthermore, Kelce has been ranked 5th overall player after three quarterbacks and Kittle. Thus, his thorough experience and faith from the fans surely seem like the motivators and path that could lead the TE to the Pro Bowl win.
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