Are Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce the Top Duo in NFL History After Super Bowl LVIII?

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce and QB Patrick MahomesRyan Kang/Getty Images

The Kansas City Chiefs are NFL champions once again. With their 25-22 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, they have won the Lombardi Trophy in back-to-back seasons and three times in five years.

The Chiefs are firmly in dynasty territory now, and as quarterback Patrick Mahomes noted after the game, they should be right back in the Super Bowl mix next season.

There are several reasons to believe the Chiefs’ run isn’t in danger of grinding to a halt. They have a young, championship-caliber defense, they aren’t entering salary-cap purgatory ($23.9 million in projected space), and they have a tremendous head coach in Andy Reid. They also have the unbelievable duo of Mahomes and star tight end Travis Kelce.

The pair form the most unstoppable duo in the NFL today, and after watching them shine on the brightest stage yet again, it’s fair to wonder if they can be considered the best quarterback-receiver duo in NFL history.

Mahomes Plus Kelce Together Equals Greatness

Mahomes and Kelce powered the Kansas City offense through several rough patches in 2023. They helped the team win brutal road games against the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens, in the playoffs and after a quiet first half, they proved to be a major problem for the 49ers on Sunday.

Kelce had just one catch for one yard before intermission. After halftime, he caught eight passes for 92 yards. That accounted for roughly 44 percent of Mahomes’ second-half yardage, and more importantly, the tight end had multiple clutch receptions, including a 22-yard catch-and-run on third down on Kansas City’s final game-tying drive of regulation.

Kelce’s immense athletic talent makes him one of the toughest covers in the league. However, it’s his ability to settle into open spots in the secondary that makes him an even bigger mismatch than other big, fast, physical TEs in the NFL.

“I would say he’s the best receiving tight end to ever play the game of football,” former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski told West Wilson of Complex.

Gronk would know a thing or two about great tight ends. He and Tom Brady connected on 105 touchdown passes, second only to Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison (114) in the regular season and postseason combined all-time.

Not so coincidentally, Brady is the quarterback whom Mahomes is now chasing. Brady has set the bar with 10 Super Bowl appearances and seven Lombardi Trophies, but Mahomes has four appearances and three wins and won’t turn 29 until September.

Mahomes, Brady and Troy Aikman are the only quarterbacks in NFL history who have won three rings before turning 30.

Individually, Kelce and Mahomes are the best at their respective positions, but their shared sense of anticipation makes them an even stronger force.

“We think along the same wavelengths,” Mahomes told reporters the week before Super Bowl LVIII. “… There might be something that we haven’t talked about that he does, and I just know he’s going to do it.”

Their rapport is unlike any other in the NFL today, but they aren’t the first duo to hold that distinction.

A History of Prolific Passing Tandems

The NFL hasn’t always been a passing league, but the Super Bowl era has been defined by legendary quarterbacks and receiving playmakers.

Whenever we open the history books and try to define the “best” player or players, there’s always some subjectivity involved. Statistically, it’s hard to match Manning and Harrison, who still hold the all-time touchdowns record for a duo.

Inevitably, postseason success comes into play because winning championships is the ultimate goal. Harrison retired with 14,580 receiving yards, but he won just a single Super Bowl with Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.

One could easily argue Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw and receiver Lynn Swann were better when it mattered most. They never posted gaudy regular-season statistics, but they combined for 364 yards and three touchdowns in four Super Bowls together.

Aikman and Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin shined in both the regular season (49 touchdowns) and playoffs (1,315 yards and eight touchdowns in 16 games) while winning a trio of Super Bowls.

San Francisco 49ers receiver Jerry Rice, who is still the NFL’s all-time leader in receptions (1,549), receiving yards (22,895) and touchdown receptions (197), was one-half of two legendary duos.

Rice caught 55 regular-season touchdown passes from Joe Montana while dominating on the biggest stage. In Super Bowls XXIII and XXIV, he had 18 catches for 363 yards and four touchdowns.

After Steve Young took over as San Francisco’s quarterback, Rice and Young hooked up for 92 touchdown passes between the regular season and playoffs combined, which is the third-most of any duo in NFL history. Rice also won his third Super Bowl ring with Young under center.

Then there’s Brady and Gronkowski, who won four Super Bowls together and pretty much set the standard for quarterback/pass-catcher postseason duos in the 21st century.

Brady and wideout Julian Edelman are also worth a mention. Edelman won three Super Bowls with Brady, had some of the most memorable catches in the title game’s history and ranks behind only Rice and Kelce in postseason receiving yards (1,442).

Why Mahomes and Kelce Stand Alone

Kelce was already a three-time Pro Bowler when Mahomes first became Kansas City’s full-time starter in 2018. The two have played only six full seasons together, which means they haven’t yet enjoyed the longevity of the aforementioned duos.

However, what they have accomplished together is remarkable. Since Mahomes took over, Kelce has tallied 7,428 yards and 52 touchdowns in the regular season alone.

That’s more yards (5,462) and touchdowns (51) than Swann had in his nine regular-season career—albeit in shorter seasons.

What truly separates Mahomes and Kelce is their postseason prowess. They’re still chasing Bradshaw and Swann in the rings department—Brady and Gronkowski have four together, but Gronkowski missed Super Bowl LI with a back injury—and they’re already in the postseason record books.

Mahomes and Kelce set the new postseason high-water mark for touchdown hookups in the divisional round this year:

In 18 playoff games together, Mahomes and Kelce have connected for 1,609 yards and 18 touchdowns. That’s an All-Pro-caliber season’s worth of stats in itself, and Kelce has topped 70 receiving yards in 15 of those games.

Labeling the NFL’s best all-time duo is subjective, and we’ve seen more impressive regular-season runs. For example, Rice’s first six seasons with Montana yielded 7,866 yards and 79 touchdowns in the regular season.

For overall body of work, I’d rank the greats as follows:

However, there hasn’t been a better statistical duo in the playoffs than Mahomes and Kelce. Championships are the ultimate measuring stick, and these two—who have yet to miss an AFC title game together—are on a historic pace.

What’s most remarkable is that there’s likely more to come. Kelce will turn 35 in October, but retirement seems to be the furthest thing from his mind.

“I’ll see y’all next year,” he said following Sunday’s win.

It should surprise no one if we see Mahomes and Kelce back on the podium following Super Bowl LIX. If these two aren’t already the top duo in league history, it seems inevitable that they’ll eventually get there.