Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is preparing for a high-stakes meeting with the Indianapolis Colts, and he’s acknowledging the attention-grabbing emergence of rookie tight end Tyler Warren. With Kansas City entering Week 12 at 5–5 and outside the AFC playoff picture, the Chiefs face a must-win moment — and Kelce made clear that stopping Warren is a priority as the two teams collide on Sunday.
Speaking with reporters on Friday, Kelce recognized the similarities between himself and Warren, noting the rookie’s production, size, and play style while emphasizing the need to contain him in a critical matchup.
Travis Kelce Makes Feelings Clear About Tyler Warren Comparison
Kelce offered direct praise for Warren, who has rapidly become one of the Colts’ most reliable offensive pieces.
“He’s an absolute force,” Kelce said Friday. “And you can see why he’s got a lot of success early, how he ran with the ball when he was in college. His feel for zones, his ability to go up and make a catch over the top of everybody. Just a big, big target out there, man, and I’m excited for his future. But hopefully we can hold him to a few yards this week.”
Warren has posted standout numbers, including 99 yards on eight catches in a 31–25 overtime win in Berlin on November 9. He ranks second among all rookies with 50 receptions and third with 617 receiving yards.
Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton said Wednesday that Warren poses schematic challenges.
“He does a lot of different things,” Bolton said. “From the backfield, on the line, off the ball, coming in at the fullback. Sometimes there’s some run plays, he’ll come in at fullback and they pass the ball to him. Over routes, deep routes, seven routes. I mean, there’s a bit everything for him. So that’s gonna be a challenge for us, kind of disrupting the line of scrimmage and make things hard for him.”
Chiefs Defense Faces Warren Threat in Colts Match-Up
Warren’s early numbers place him among rare company. League records show he is one of only three rookie tight ends in NFL history to record at least 50 receiving yards in seven of his first 10 games — alongside Brock Bowers and Keith Jackson.
Defensive backs coach Dave Merritt emphasized the physical elements that make Warren dangerous.
“Strong hands at the point of attack, first of all,” Merritt said Thursday. “He can block. I mean, I think he’s one of the better blocking tight ends in the league. But this kid is savvy. I mean, he has strong hands at the top of the route. He has a big catch radius. And all of a sudden you throw that ball up, it’s like throwing up an alley-oop to a basketball player. But I think the kid has a bright future. He’s done a nice job.”
Kansas City allowed 141 yards to tight ends in its 28–21 loss to Buffalo earlier this month, including 101 yards and a touchdown to Dalton Kincaid — the first 100-yard performance against the Chiefs since December of last season.
Travis Kelce Addresses Chiefs’ Urgency on ‘New Heights’ Podcast
On the latest episode of “New Heights,” Kelce acknowledged the pressure facing Kansas City.
“Man, it’s frustrating because it’s gotten to the point where we’re 5–5,” Kelce said. “We’re .500 going into the back-end of the schedule here. Got seven games left and we basically got to run the table. And I haven’t been in this situation in a long, long time.”
Kelce noted that having Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and a top-10 offense and defense makes their record more difficult to accept.
“And it’s even more frustrating knowing the kind of guys that we have, knowing the kind of talent that we have,” Kelce continued. “Knowing the type of coaches that we have. And everybody’s kind of just got to look themselves in the mirror, man. You can’t sit around pointing fingers … Whatever you go into mentally when you’re frustrated, you got to kick that (expletive) aside and you got to think about how you’re going to (expletive) attack the day.”
Kickoff against the Colts is Sunday at 12 p.m. CT on CBS/KCTV, Channel 5 and 96.5 The Fan.
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