Kansas City is days away from making its sixth consecutive AFC Championship Game appearance.
Travis Kelce has been there for them all, and perhaps none has required such a grind -- something he believes makes the latest iteration of the Chiefs stand out.
"We're resilient," Kelce said Friday, per the team transcript. "We grew together. You saw the struggles, you saw the growth. I think that's what make us special, but you just come into that locker room, you'll see the chemistry. You'll see how much we want it for the guy next to us, and that's when you know you have a real good team."
Far from the world beaters of years past, when K.C. twice finished first in the NFL in scoring and thrice finished first in yards during Patrick Mahomes' first five years as a starter, the Chiefs ranked 15th in points and ninth in yards during the 2023 regular season.
The Chiefs led the league with 44 drops, saw a six-game winning streak end against the Raiders and had a successful sixteen-game stretch snapped against the Broncos while losing their most games (six) and finishing with their worst seeding (third) of the Mahomes era.
Sunday will mark the first conference title game of six straight to take place away from Arrowhead Stadium.
Regardless, these Chiefs once again stand a game away from the Super Bowl, now featuring one of their best defenses in years and an offense that's seemingly saved its best for the postseason.
Resilience has bled over from a team necessity to a component of Kelce's individual efforts, as well.
The 34-year-old reached his ninth Pro Bowl and eclipsed 90 receptions for a sixth straight year. He had one of the best seasons of any tight end across the league, but it still fell short of the astronomically high bar he's
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