During the Divisional Round victory over the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs superstars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce broke another NFL record and this time, they did it together.
Among others, Bleacher Report relayed the accomplishment on X. “Mahomes and Kelce passed [Tom] Brady and [Rob Gronkowski] for most postseason TDs (16) by [a] QB-Receiver Duo in NFL history,” they informed. Brady and Gronkowski achieved 15 playoffs touchdowns together.
The following morning on January 22, Brady addressed Mahomes breaking another one of his NFL records, and he did so with class.
“BEASTS,” the legendary quarterback commented, joking: “When you one up gronk you’re doing something right.”
Brady’s response already has over 30K likes in approximately three hours, while Gronkowski has yet to speak on the matter publicly.
BEASTS. When you one up gronk you’re doing something right. https://t.co/s0Cbmxsbwd
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) January 22, 2024
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Calls Passing a Tom Brady & Rob Gronkowski Record ‘Special’
After the game, Mahomes was asked about what it means to break this postseason record.
“Passing anything that has Brady and Gronk in it is special,” the Chiefs QB replied. “Because those are two of the greatest players — I mean, Tom is the greatest player and then one of the greatest tight ends of all-time. And postseason players. So, to be mentioned in that, and passing that, you appreciate that.”
Mahomes also credited his partner in crime, noting that this record “speaks to Travis and his work,” which includes “being able to make big plays in big games.”
“We always emphasize getting Travis the ball. He did a great job of getting himself open,” the reigning NFL MVP voiced. “And then once they started putting a lot of attention on him, other guys like [Marquez Valdes-Scantling] made plays.”
“That’s what it takes,” Mahomes concluded. “Everybody’s got to make plays in order to win playoff games.”
Kelce finished with five receptions for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Mahomes targeted his No. 1 weapon six times against the Bills, which led all Kansas City pass-catchers on the evening.
Chiefs WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling Comes Up Clutch for KC
It’s been a miserable year for Valdes-Scantling, who only caught 21 passes for 315 yards and one touchdown during the regular season despite starting 10 games and appearing in 16.
The issue — as fans know — wasn’t always targets. MVS has gotten open at times, often on deep routes, but he’s had a propensity for dropping the football. Pro Football Reference only charged the veteran wideout with three drops, officially, although his 50% catch rate tells a different story.
Having said all of that, Valdes-Scantling came through in the clutch versus Buffalo with two huge catches for 62 yards.
“I got trust in 11, man,” Mahomes said of MVS at the tail end of his press conference. “He comes to work every single day and even though he’s gotten some hate from outside the building, we trust him and love him here, and we know he’s going to make big plays whenever his number’s called.”
“He did that today in a big game,” the QB added. “And we’re going to try and carry that momentum into next week.”
Behind Kelce and Valdes-Scantling, rookie Rashee Rice, backup TE Noah Gray and running back Isiah Pacheco combined for the rest of the receiving yards — outside of a fumbled two-yard reception by Mecole Hardman and a negative catch on the part of Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
The Chiefs were missing a couple of pass-catchers in this one, but they still came out with a victory over the Bills. An encouraging sign as they venture on to face the AFC’s top seed Baltimore Ravens in Maryland.
