As Travis Kelce's performance this season comes under increasing scrutiny, his quarterback comes to his aid.

Patrick Mahomes offered an explanation for why Kelce was barely used in the Chiefs' first three games after they took a 3-0 lead with their road win over the Falcons on Sunday night.

“It's crazy because teams still have an incredible amount of respect for Travis. It's well-deserved,” Mahomes told reporters. “We call a lot of plays for Travis and it's like two or three people go to him. He understands – that's the great thing about him: He wants to impact the game, but at the end of the day he wants to win.”

“I'm going to do my best to get the ball to him whenever he's there, whenever he's free. I think the more Rashee (Rice) plays, the more we can run the football, the more we can get (Xavier) Worthy involved. I think that will give Travis more room to play. People are putting a lot of emphasis on taking him away, and that gives other guys room to play.”

Kelce, 34, had four catches for 30 yards in Kansas City's 22-17 win at Atlanta, and the nine-time Pro Bowler has just eight catches for 69 yards and zero touchdowns this season.

On the latest episode of the “New Heights” podcast, which he co-hosts with his brother Jason, Travis said he “used to get really, really mad and almost lose it” when he didn't have good games, but he said he wouldn't let his unproductive first two weeks frustrate him.

On Sunday night, however, Kelce looked pathetic on the sidelines as he again played through four quiet quarters.

The result was that Rice crushed the Falcons with 12 catches, 110 yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts; Kelce's five attempts were the next most on the team.

Undrafted rookie running back Carson Steele had 17 carries for 72 yards while filling in for the injured Isiah Pacheco.

Mahomes finished the game with 26 of 39 passes, 217 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

In Week 4, the Chiefs will be back on the road to face the rival Chargers, against whom Kelce has played many big games.

In 18 career games against the Chargers, Kelce has 100 catches for 1,223 yards and eight touchdowns.

His most productive 2023 regular season game came in Week 7 against Los Angeles, when he had 12 catches for 179 yards and a touchdown.