Catching Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce could come down to Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier
PITTSBURGH 鈥� 鈥淐atching Kelce,鈥� the reality TV show, concluded a few weeks back with the Kansas City Chiefs tight end famously choosing Maya over Veronica. And, yes, I know what you鈥檙e thinking: How could he? I mean, duh, everyone knows Kelce should have chosen Lauren.
But we digress.
Catching Travis Kelce on a football field has proven far more difficult.
Kelce is third in the NFL in yards after catch (7.7), trailing only a pair of running backs: The Steelers鈥� Le鈥橵eon Bell and Arizona鈥檚 David Johnson. That a tight end is even in the discussion is remarkable but, then again, so is Kelce.
In an NFL that finds itself without New England鈥檚 Rob Gronkowski, Kelce is perhaps the best tight end going.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a really great athlete, does a lot of unusual things for a tight end,鈥� said Steelers inside linebacker Vince Williams. 鈥淗e splits out wide, catches bubble screens. How many times you see a tight end catch a bubble screen? He鈥檚 just that type of player. He鈥檚 that dynamic.鈥�
Kelce鈥檚 1,125 yards were tops among all tight ends and 12th among all players. Tyreek Hill was the Chiefs鈥� second-leading receiver with 532 fewer yards. That makes Kelce, by far, Kansas City鈥檚 most dangerous receiving option and the player the Steelers defense absolutely must contain in Sunday鈥檚 AFC Division Round game at Arrowhead Stadium.
鈥淗e does a good job shifting his weight, he鈥檚 wide in his cuts, he blocks well, a great overall talent,鈥� said inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons. 鈥淗e鈥檚 like a Tony Gonzalez.
鈥淗e has moves. He鈥檚 pretty fluid, which is crazy as big (6-foot-5, 255 pounds) as he is. You see how he runs away from the pack, he鈥檚 pretty fluid.鈥�
When they last met the Chiefs on a rainy Sunday night in Week 4, the Steelers not only throttled Kansas City 43-14, they held the All-Pro to five catches for 23 yards and a season-low 4.60 per reception (8.6 yards per reception).
Making that feat even more remarkable was with whom the Steelers did it. At strong safety, the Steelers started Jordan Dangerfield, who was filling in for Robert Golden. Will Gay was still starting outside at cornerback. Relying extensively on their dime package, which included Justin Gilbert, the Steelers were able to shut down Kelce.
Mike Tomlin didn鈥檛 categorically rule out a similar strategy this week at Kansas City, but the cast on defense has clearly changed. Sean Davis has long supplanted Dangerfield and Golden. Artie Burns has pushed Gay inside to the slot. Gilbert? He hasn鈥檛 played a down on defense since Week 5.
In the first week of October, the Steelers were also without Ryan Shazier. The Chiefs game was the first of three games that Shazier missed with a knee injury. When the Steelers meet Kansas City again on Sunday, expect Shazier to match up against Kelce. Whether it鈥檚 been Washington鈥檚 Jordan Reed or Cincinnati鈥檚 Tyler Eifert, Shazier routinely draws the assignment of covering top tight ends.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a great player,鈥� Shazier said of Kelce. 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 trying to be a great player. You always want to play the best. If I get a chance, it鈥檒l be fun.鈥�
Shazier鈥檚 impact on the Steelers defense during their eight-game win streak can鈥檛 be understated enough, said Timmons. Shazier, who had 3.5 sacks this season, has 38 tackles since the Steelers鈥� Week 11 win at Cleveland and has interceptions in each of the past three games.
鈥淪hould have been Pro Bowl, he鈥檚 that type of athlete,鈥� Timmons said of his teammate.
The speed and athleticism with which Shazier plays has been evident since the Steelers chose him 15th overall in 2014. Had it not been for a slew of injuries 鈥� he鈥檚 missed 14 regular-season games over his first three seasons 鈥� Shazier may have been All-Pro already.
According to Timmons, Shazier has made his biggest steps off the field in film study. As the signal caller of the defense, Shazier says he鈥檚 come a long way.
鈥淛ust my film study with Mike Mitchell when I come in early by myself,鈥� Shazier said. 鈥淚 really felt like it鈥檚 really helped my game evolve, the extra hours I have with my coach and talking to them about the game plan. Just understanding what other guys are doing on offense. I think it really helps out so much on the defense.鈥�