“I don’t get involved in achieving the goals and so on.”

The nine-time Pro Bowler said that accumulating wins is more important to him than counting catches.

“I've caught a lot of balls in this league, man,” he said. “I don't worry about the catches and the yards and all that. I have the most fun when the ball is thrown my way. Who doesn't? But it all has to do with execution and making sure we do everything we can to win these football games, man. That's always going to be the goal…”

“And even if it doesn't work out, as long as we're winning football games, it's all good, baby.”

During his weekly press conference on Wednesday, Mahomes noted that the attention Kelce receives from opponents creates opportunities for the rest of the unit. The MVP quarterback specifically mentioned one play where Kelce drew the attention of several defenders and gave fellow tight end Noah Gray complete freedom for an easy 13-yard gain.

“I think he's dealing with it really great,” Mahomes said of Kelce's lack of offensive opportunities. “I feel like I'd rather pass the ball to him, whereas he's just saying, 'I just want to win, man. I don't care. I'm running these routes and taking guys with me so the other guys get free.' We know he's a big part of this offense and we want to make sure we keep using him, but at the same time, I've got to get the ball to the other guys and let them make plays when the defense takes it away. But as the season goes on, if we continue to show that we're throwing the ball to Rashee (Rice) and these other guys that are going to play, teams are going to have to make those one-on-one matchups and that's when Travis is going to strike.”

While Kelce is the center of attention, Rice has rushed for over 75 yards in every game, one of only three players to do so (Nico Collins, DeVonta Smith). Rice leads the NFL with 24 passes caught and has the most yards after the catch this season (200).

The question is whether the defense will continue to cover Kelce so Rice can follow up, or whether a team will try to slow down the pass receiver and open up a few extra throwing lanes for the future Hall of Fame tight end.