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Happy National Tight Ends Day: Travis Kelce and TEs set NFL record 16 touchdowns

Happy National Tight Ends Day: Travis Kelce and TEs set NFL record 16 touchdowns
Posted on | Posted on angela

It's the fourth Sunday in October, which can only mean one thing: National Tight Ends Day.

Sunday marked the fifth annual celebration of this informal event, and the tight ends came out ready to play. By the end of the first game window on Sunday, seven different tight ends had scored touchdowns, eight if you include the Minnesota Vikings' Josh Oliver's score from Thursday night.

Kyle Pitts of the Atlanta Falcons was the main cheerleader, scoring his first career multi-touchdown game. Here's a quick recap of the day's best celebratory performances, as well as a brief history.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end scored his first touchdown of the 2024 season on a third-and-goal to give the Chiefs the lead in the second quarter.

The 35-year-old had a quiet season, entering National Tight Ends Day with 28 receptions for 245 yards, but his touchdown on Sunday marked his 75th career point. Only four other tight ends in league history have ever reached the end zone more times – Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham.

Kyle Pitts

Pitts has put together the kind of game fantasy football managers have been waiting for for years. The highly talented 24-year-old started National Tight Ends Day with a bang, scoring two touchdowns in the first half, both of which showcased the unique blend of size and speed that got him drafted No. 4 in 2021.

He finished the holiday season with four catches and a season-high 91 yards from the two scores.

The San Francisco 49ers star – who helped create the “holiday” (see below) – put the finishing touches on it with a great performance in the “Sunday Night Football” win over the Dallas Cowboys. He had six catches for 128 yards (his first 100-yard game of the season) and a touchdown in San Francisco's 30-24 win over Dallas. It was his sixth touchdown catch of the season as he remains the NFL's all-time leader at the position.

On the opposite side of Pitts, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had to do without star receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans on Sunday, but still celebrated National Tight Ends Day with great success.

Otton matched Pitts' dominance, scoring two touchdowns himself and rushing for 81 yards on nine receptions.

The Detroit duo didn't want to monopolize the holiday love, so the Lions' tight ends each caught a touchdown.

Wright started the party first in the second quarter and reached the end zone for the first quarter in 2024, where he was quickly overwhelmed by LaPorta.

At the end of the frame, LaPorta danced in the end zone himself and caught a laser from running back David Montgomery on a trick play.

Andrews, a mainstay of National Tight End Day, had a quieter 2024 than in years past, but the Baltimore Ravens star was in top form Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. The three-time Pro Bowler scored his fourth touchdown of the season.

Andrews' touchdown came minutes after Njoku gave the Browns the lead with a diving 23-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter.

Andrews and Njoku finished their star-studded holiday game with a combined 10 receptions for 97 yards and two touchdowns.

Later Sunday, the Denver Broncos wanted to repeat the Lions' fun and also celebrate their two tight ends. In the first quarter, Nate Adkins joined the party with his first career touchdown reception, and in the second quarter, Adam Trautman joined him, giving Denver a lead over the Carolina Panthers.

Denver's tight ends entered Sunday with just 17 receptions for 136 yards and no touchdowns this season. In two quarters against the Panthers, the Broncos' tight ends totaled five catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns.

Other touchdown scorers

  • Tyler Conklin: The New York Jets tight end scored with an impressive one-handed grab in traffic against the New England Patriots, giving the Jets their first touchdown of the game
  • Tucker Kraft: Kraft scored his fifth touchdown in five games on Sunday, helping the Green Bay Packers build a fourth-quarter lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
  • Evan Engram: The Jaguars tight end is a favorite target of Trevor Lawrence, and their touchdown connection on Sunday couldn't have come at a better time. With less than two minutes to play, Engram outran three Packers defenders and scored a late touchdown that tied the game.
  • Dalton Kincaid: The Buffalo Bills tight end entered the game with a red zone score just before halftime against the Seattle Seahawks.
  • Josh Oliver: Does Oliver's touchdown count on Thursday night? Definitely for this exercise. The Minnesota Vikings got to their tight end for a touchdown in the first quarter on the eve of National Tight Ends Day-Eve-Eve-Eve.

History of National Tight Ends Day

In Week 2 of 2018, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo connected with tight end Garrett Celek on an 11-yard touchdown. Back on the sidelines, the always colorful Kittle later shared a conversation he was a part of.

“We were standing on the sideline after Celek's score when Jimmy asked, 'What is this, like, National Tight Ends Day?'” Kittle said. “I was like, 'Yeah, it's National Tight Ends Day.' It's a holiday. “Tight ends all over the league are scoring touchdowns.” That’s how it came about. We just went along with it.”

The idea originated in 2019 before the NFL fully implemented the concept with promotional content in 2020. In 2023, the holiday was so popular that it transcended sports and caught the attention of basketball's biggest star, LeBron James.

Required reading

(Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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