Sean Payton Explains Why Stopping Travis Kelce Is Easier Said Than Done Ahead Of The Denver Broncos-Kansas City Chiefs clash

Sean Payton gets candid about the Travis Kelce challenge© Getty via AFP

Sean Payton knows how hard it is to slow down Travis Kelce, and he made that clear this week. The Denver Broncos head coach spoke after practice on October 28, ahead of the Week 8 game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High. Payton is 3-5 against the Chiefs with Kelce on their roster, across two different coaching jobs. Kelce has stayed the constant on the other sideline. According to Payton, the tight end's edge now comes from instincts, not speed, and that is much harder to defend.

Sean Payton explains why stopping Travis Kelce is so difficult

Payton did not point to athletic gifts. He pointed to feel.

“Man, the savvy, all those things, the instincts, the things that are sometimes hard to teach, he's got. He is still sudden out of the break point. So, transitionally, which is a very important trait for a TE, he's very difficult. He can stop, change directions, field zone, field man, and he understands where the squeeze is. It's almost like feeding the ball in the post; he understands where the leverage is. He does that very well.”

Payton's point is simple. Kelce no longer wins by running past defenders. He wins by reading them. A tight end who can stop and change direction leaves a defense no clean answer in either man or zone coverage.

That matters because of how Kelce's game has changed. Younger, faster tight ends can win with athleticism alone. Kelce cannot, and has not needed to for years. His work comes before the catch, in the angle he takes at the top of a route and the way he sets up the defender covering him.

Kelce's record against Payton and what happened in Week 1

The head-to-head favors Kelce, and he once put up 124 yards in a game against a Payton-coached team. The most recent meeting was quieter for him, though. Kansas City won 31-10 in Week 1, and Kenneth Walker III was the main reason.

Kelce still had a solid night in that game. Three catches, 71 yards, five targets. Efficient, but never the difference.

Payton will hope Denver's defense can keep the Chiefs quiet again, especially with Kansas City coming off its first loss of the season. Stopping Kelce is only one piece. The Broncos also have to find an answer for Walker, who did the real damage in that first game.