Travis Kelce backed by Chiefs George Karlaftis as chatter intensifies over quiet start

Travis Kelce may be off to a slow start where stats are concerned, but Chiefs teammate George Karlaftis insists the star tight end is still competing at a high level.When asked about Kelce’s somber appearance on the sideline Sunday during Kansas City’s 22-17 win over Atlanta, the third-year defensive end told TMZ his All-Pro teammate “hasn’t skipped a beat.”“I can’t speak to the offensive side as much, and I play defense but I know Travis as a player and as a person, he hasn’t skipped a beat,” Karlaftis, 23, said.“He’s a guy that loves football, he’s going to come and work his tail off every single day no matter what and teams have to respect him, he’s the greatest tight end to ever play, you could argue, certainly I think so.”Karlaftis then echoed previous sentiments from Chiefs coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes about how defenses are taking Kelce out of the picture following another quiet outing for the tight end (four receptions for 30 yards).“You gotta account for him, he’s going to face double and triple teams, that opens up guys like [wide receiver] Rashee [Rice], our running game, and stuff like that, so, he’s a guy that commands a lot of respect,” the former first-round pick told TMZ.Through three games, Rice has amassed 24 receptions for 288 yards and two touchdowns while Kelce has eight receptions for 69 yards and zero scores.Kelce, now in his 12th year in the league, said Wednesday on the “New Heights” podcast he co-hosts with brother Jason that he’s “not worried” about the stats.“I’ve had a lot of catches in this league, man, I’m not worried about the catches and the yards, and all of that, I have the most fun when I get the ball thrown my way, I mean, who doesn’t?” Kelce said.“It has everything to do with execution and just making sure we’re doing everything we can to win these football games, that’s always going to be the goal.”Elsewhere on the podcast, Kelce — whose celeb...