Stephen A. Smith Surprised by Travis Kelce's Fast Start to Season

The ESPN commentator said on First Take that he expected marriage to slow the Chiefs tight end down, but Kelce looks refreshed through two games.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said on First Take that he did not expect Travis Kelce to play this well to open the season for the Kansas City Chiefs. Kelce married Taylor Swift during the summer, and Smith admitted he thought marriage would lead to a decline in the tight end's play.

Smith said Kelce looks younger and lighter, with noticeable energy on the field. He noted that the veteran appears happy and is performing at a high level despite his off-field profile growing in recent years.

The numbers back up the impression. Kelce has 172 receiving yards through two games, a pace that projects to roughly 1,400 yards for the season. That would be well ahead of his 851-yard total from last year.

Kelce topped 1,000 receiving yards in seven straight seasons earlier in his career but has fallen short of that mark in each of the last three years. There was offseason speculation about whether he might retire.

Smith also ranked Kansas City first in his NFL top five, citing the team's 33-30 overtime win over the Indianapolis Colts as evidence that coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's defense can deliver in key moments. The Chiefs are 2-0 after beating the Denver Broncos and the Colts.