Giants Prepare to Cover Travis Kelce as Chiefs Visit MetLife

The New York Giants are counting on Tyler Nubin to shadow Travis Kelce when Kansas City visits MetLife Stadium for Sunday Night Football. Kelce, at 35, has just six receptions through two games this season, but Giants coaches and players stress that the veteran tight end remains a matchup headache and a figure the defense must handle if New York wants to avoid starting 0-3.

Nubin, entering his second season, is embracing the challenge. “He’s a savvy vet, and he can get open against any coverage,” the Giants safety said. “He’s super smart. He and Patrick [Mahomes] are always on the same page it seems like. He’s going to run something that’s probably unorthodox in the route tree, but Patrick’s going to put it right on him because they’re right on cue with each other. It’s going to be awesome to go against him.” Nubin acknowledged Kelce’s long track record and remains focused on the top route concepts and timing that have defined Kelce’s career.

Kelce’s production has slipped from his peak years — last season he caught 97 passes for 823 yards, his fewest yardage total since 2013 — but he has found the end zone this season after a three-touchdown campaign in 2024. Nubin refused to let the numbers define Kelce. “He just knows how to get open,” Nubin said. “It’s not going to be your typical out-routes. It’s going to be out, pivot, turn up the field, stop, probably get open and the ball’s going to find him. He knows how to read coverages.” Kelce is still a centerpiece of Kansas City’s offense, a factor the Giants know they will have to contain.

Nubin is coming off a remarkable endurance test in the Week 2 loss to Dallas, when he played all 89 defensive snaps and 17 on special teams for a total of 106 snaps. He said the last time he topped 100 snaps in a game was in high school in Illinois, when he was a two-way player. “It was fun. I honestly didn’t realize it was that until after the game. When you’re in it you don’t actually feel that you are going that long. I probably could have gone longer. I’m a young man, I’m going to be good.” The workload underscores the Giants’ rotation plan as they prepare for a Kansas City offense that frequently exploits matchups and misdirection.

The Giants appear confident Gunner Olszewski will handle the kickoff and punt returns Sunday night, with Xavier Gipson waived after a short stint with the team earlier in the week. Olszewski is listed as questionable with a back issue. To shore up the depth on defense, New York added three players from its practice squad: outside linebacker Tomon Fox and elevated defensive lineman Elijah Garcia and linebacker Neville Hewitt. The personnel moves signal a willingness to mix and match around the field against a Chiefs unit that has relied on both Kelce and Mahomes in creative ways this season.

Strange but true: the Chiefs have won in every NFL team’s home stadium — except the Giants. Kansas City is 0-7 in road games against New York, though that record does not imply the Chiefs cannot win in New Jersey; they beat the Jets at MetLife Stadium in 2023. Mahomes leads Kansas City in rushing this season with 123 yards, and the Giants expect him to test defenders by venturing toward the sideline and using quick movement to force angles and tackles.

“Quarterbacks I feel like are starting to abuse that rule,” Giants edge rusher Brian Burns said. “It’s a feel thing. You should know when you can hit him and when you have to pull up.” The Giants know they will be tested by a Chiefs offense that thrives on timing and deception, with Kelce at the center of their plans and Mahomes orchestrating a relentless attack.

With Kelce likely to draw Nubin in coverage, New York is counting on a disciplined, physical approach to limit the veteran’s impact. The matchup has potential to define how the Giants fare against one of the league’s most dangerous offenses this season, and it will be a key gauge of whether New York’s defense can adapt quickly enough to keep pace with a Kansas City squad that has repeatedly found ways to win in hostile environments.