Travis Kelce sure sounds like he's in denial about Chiefs struggles and father time

Travis Kelce, the esteemed action movie star and boyfriend of the greatest pop artist of this generation, is in a bit of a slump at his chosen profession, NFL tight end. All jokes aside, Kelce is a surefire Hall of Famer when he hangs up his cleats. He's also 34 years old and has a lot less time on his hands these days.

Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid have gone to bat for Kelce despite his poor three-game start. Kelce has just 69 receiving yards on eight receptions heading into the Chargers game.

"I know people are saying that he's old or that he has distractions, but defenses don't think that," Reid told reporters this week. "Trav is fine. He works his tail off. He hasn't lost a step. He's not distracted."

Travis Kelce is the best teammate for Patrick Mahomes, even if he's in decline

While Kelce hasn't put up his usual numbers so far this year, Rashee Rice has exceeded expectations and then some. The hope is -- at least for Mahomes and Kansas City -- that eventually defenses must adjust to Rice, thus creating more opportunities for Kelce.

"As the season goes on, if we continue to show that we’re going to throw it to Rashee (Rice) and we’re going to throw it to these other guys, and they are gonna make plays, teams are gonna have to do those one on one matchups, and that’s when Travis will eat," Mahomes said via Chiefs Wire.

As for Kelce himself, the Chiefs star isn't all that worried. Much liked Reid and Mahomes, Kelce has chalked the inability to replicate his past numbers on attention from opposing secondaries, and enjoys watching his teammates succeed. Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that Kelce isn't demanding the ball, but rather confident in his on-field presence. Evidently, the team feeds off his energy.

Even if Kelce is in decline, Kansas City has no real reason to panic. Kelce still draws plenty of defenders, which leads to one-on-one matchups for players like Rice, Xavier Worthy and even Chiefs backup tight ends, Noah Gray and Jared Wiley.

Eventually Brett Veach and Co. will need to think about life after Kelce, but that time is not now. Instead, Reid and Mahomes hope to ride one of the best tight ends in NFL history as long as they can, because father time is quickly catching up with him.