Antonio Gates pays tribute to Travis Kelce before Super Bowl and gives shock take on Chiefs-Eagles matchup
NFL legend Antonio Gates hailed Travis Kelce as a gold standard for tight ends ahead of the Chiefs’ three-peat attempt against Philadelphia in Sunday’s Super Bowl.
Kansas City is one win away from making NFL history, as no team has successfully won three straight titles.
Although Kelce has not had the most exciting regular season, his fellow tight end gave him his flowers as he gears up to win his fourth career championship.
Speaking to DailyMail.com in New Orleans, Gates raved about Kelce’s consistency and greatness.
‘You talk about the word great, you talk about consistency,’ he said. ‘You talk about a guy who can do the same thing over and over. When you talk about the word great, you talk about a guy who when he steps out on the field, has to be accounted for.
‘A guy that you can trust,’ Gates added. ‘Trust on third down, trust in the red zone, trust to make plays. That’s what I see when I see him play.
Legendary tight end Antonio Gates praised Travis Kelce before the Super Bowl in New Orleans
Gates praised Kelce for moving the position in the right direction and setting a good standard
‘I see him still pushing the position in the right direction. He’s been setting the standard in this league for a while now and I’m happy for him.
‘Hopefully, he keeps going in the right direction, and whoever comes after him, whether or not it’s George Kittle or whoever it is, that they keep pushing the position.’
While Gates was showering Kelce with compliments, he claims to be betting ‘against history’ as he sides with the Eagles to spoil the party in the Big Easy.
‘I’m betting against history,’ Gates said. ‘I don’t believe they can win three out of four. Statistics-wise, it’s proven that’s the hardest thing you could do.
‘Other than that, I got ties with the Eagles,’ he continued. ‘I believe that Philly has a complete team. I believe that Kansas City has the most clutch performer.
‘But I believe that with Saquon and Jalen, that D line, that secondary, they got probably one of the best defenses in football but they got one of the best running games in football… that’s the ingredients to win these kind of games.’
Gates also praised quarterback Patrick Mahomes as the ‘most clutch’ player in the game
While rooting for the Eagles to emerge victorious, Gates admitted that Patrick Mahomes remains the X factor in the game and could change the outcome in the dying seconds.
‘Running the football, playing defense, they got the advantage in both. But they don’t got Patrick Mahomes,’ Gates said. ‘If there’s one second left, and Patrick Mahomes got the ball, it changes a lot.’
‘I believe [the Eagles] pull this one off. And if they happen not to, that’s history. That’s a team, they’ve been there the last three years, they’re looking for a threepeat, then they become a dynasty.’
‘I know they’re a good team [but] they didn’t ever play, to me, as the best team in the NFL,’ he continued. ‘They were just winning games because of Patrick Mahomes.’
