WATCH: Travis Kelce's disappointed look on sidelines goes viral as Chiefs struggle to get going in 1st half vs Falcons
The Kansas City Chiefs visited the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football, and the first half was not easy for Travis Kelce and co. While quarterback Patrick Mahomes found sophomore Rashee Rice for a touchdown, he was also picked off by Justin Simmons.
And as halftime approached, he soon found himself being denied the chance to add to his tally of sixes, instead being forced to settle for field goals by Harrison Butker in each of his last two drives.
In between those drives, NBC's cameras managed to catch tight end Travis Kelce donning a sad look on his face as he watched from the sidelines:
Once the second half began, the Chiefs would add a third field goal. The Falcons, meanwhile, are still scoreless after scoring two touchdowns courtest of Drake London and Bijan Robinson.
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce has had a slow start to 2024 season
It can be said that the Chiefs have been winning games in spite of Travis Kelce, who is having a slow start to the current campaign. Whereas he had fewer than 20 receiving yards in just two regular-season games in 2023, this season has seen the 34-year-old fail to crack even 40 so far through two games.
In the first half against the Falcons, he had four catches for 30 yards and no touchdowns. Last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, he had his worst stat line in a while with just a single five-yard catch.
But it also shows the Chiefs’ wisdom in recognizing that they cannot just rely on a single person to accomplish the job. So far, the SNF game’s top receiver has been Rashee Rice, who has set his troubles (both on- and off-field) aside with 110 yards and a touchdown from 12 receptions.
Returnee JuJu Smith-Schuster and rookie Xavier Worthy also proved to be capable, each man having two catches for 17 yards (the former even scored a touchdown in the third). Rarely-used running back Carson Steele also had a strong game in Isiah Pacheco’s absence, carrying the ball 15 times for 64 yards.