Kelce made history Monday — naturally, it was against the Broncos

Travis Kelce gained 54 yards after the catch on a single reception Monday night. Jaylen Waddle and Courtland Sutton combined for 13 receiving yards in the entire game.

That one sentence tells you everything about how the Broncos’ 31-10 loss to the Chiefs felt.

Kelce’s 59-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter — a turn-back-the-clock moment from a 36-year-old tight end that Arrowhead Stadium hasn’t seen from Kelce since 2021 — did more than set up a Harrison Butker field goal in a 31-10 rout. It pushed Kelce past Jason Witten for second on the all-time tight end receiving yardage list, trailing only fellow Chiefs legend Tony Gonzalez.

Kelce entered the night needing 45 yards to pass Witten’s 13,046. He finished with three catches for 71 yards — 13,073 for his career — and made the milestone look effortless in a game where very little else was easy for the offenses on the field.

“It’s a good feeling to get this win,” Kelce told ESPN’s Laura Rutledge afterward. “All the other stuff is just hoopla now.”

Hoopla is one word for it. History is another.

Per Next Gen Stats, Kelce gained 54 yards after the catch on the 59-yard reception — his most YAC on a single play since Week 16, 2016. That was also against the Broncos. Denver, apparently, is where Kelce turns back into his 27-year-old self.

And here’s the detail that will sting Denver fans most: Kelce’s yards after the catch on that one play — 54 — were more than Waddle and Sutton produced in total receiving yards combined all night. Waddle, the offseason acquisition Denver traded a first-round pick to land, finished with one catch for two yards. Sutton had two catches for 11 yards. Together: 13 yards. Kelce beat them both on a single jog to the end zone that he didn’t even finish, as the play ended at the Denver 4-yard line.

Kelce posted 422 yards after the catch last season — nearly doubling Waddle’s 228 and Sutton’s 222 individually. The gap was supposed to narrow with Waddle now in Denver’s offense. On opening night, that was not the case.

Kelce now sits 2,054 yards behind Gonzalez’s 15,127 for the all-time tight end record. At 36, in what many believe could be his final season, catching Gonzalez is a long shot. But Kelce has never needed a full season to torture the Broncos. He’s done enough damage in individual plays — three of them, specifically — to leave a permanent mark on the rivalry.

Two of his three longest catches. A milestone reception. And more yards after the catch on one play than Denver’s two highest-profile receivers managed all night. Possibly one last torturing act on Broncos Country by Travis.

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