The Kansas City Chiefs tight end doesn’t need to be reminded that he never beat Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski in the playoffs.
In less than a week, the Kansas City Chiefs look to become the first team since the New England Patriots (2003-04) to repeat as Super Bowl champions. But those standing in their way of the their goal are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Those two individuals know what it takes to compete for and win Lombardi Trophies, and one of them in particular came at the expense of the Chiefs and tight end Travis Kelce. During Super Bowl 55 media day on Monday, Kelce said that he is “very aware” that he has never beaten the Brady-Gronkowski duo in win-or-go-home games.
“I’ve never beat Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady in a playoff situation, and I’m very aware of that,” Kelce said, via ProFootballTalk.
Brady and Gronk got the best of Kelce in the postseason
Kelce has gotten the best of Brady and Gronkowski in the regular-season, most recently in Kansas City’s 27-24 victory over Tampa Bay back in Week 12. But in the playoffs, Kelce has an 0-2 record against the veteran duo in the playoffs.
The tight end first met Brady and Gronkowski in the 2015 playoffs, where they lost 27-20 to the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round. Kelce caught six-of-nine targets from quarterback Alex Smith for 23 yards and no touchdowns. The Patriots went on to lose to the Denver Broncos by the score of 20-18 in the AFC Championship Game.
Then, there was the 2018 AFC Championship Game, which ended in thrilling fashion. The Patriots eked out the 37-31 victory after getting possession of the ball to start overtie and scoring a touchdown to end the game without the Chiefs offense ever getting a chance of touching the ball. In that contest, Kelce three-of-five targets from quarterback Patrick Mahomes for 23 yards and a touchdown. Of course, the Patriots advanced to and won Super Bowl 53 after shutting down the Los Angeles Rams by the score of 13-3.
Now, Kelce has the chance to exact his revenge against the Hall of Fame duo on Tampa Bay on the grandest of stages — the Super Bowl. If he’s successful, those two previous losses will be put in the rearview for good.