Giants prepare to cover Travis Kelce as Nubin eyes assignment vs Chiefs

The New York Giants will host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night at MetLife Stadium, trying to slow down Travis Kelce as Kansas City seeks to rebound from an 0-2 start. Kelce, 35, has just six receptions through two games. Giants safety Tyler Nubin, a 24-year-old second-year player, is expected to draw Kelce in coverage.

Nubin said Kelce remains an elite player, capable of getting open against any coverage. "He’s a savvy vet, and he can get open against any coverage," Nubin told The Post. "He’s super smart. He and Patrick [Mahomes] are always on the same page it seems like. It’s going to be awesome to go against him." Nubin also pushed back on talk that Kelce has declined with age, noting, "He just knows how to read coverages."

Nubin logged an extraordinary workload in Week 2, playing all 89 defensive snaps in the 40-37 overtime loss to the Cowboys and 17 more on special teams for a total of 106, a number he said he did not realize until after the game. "It was fun," he said. "I honestly didn’t realize it till 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."

Special-teams depth is a factor. The Giants appear ready to rely on Gunner Olszewski to handle kickoff and punt returns, with Xavier Gipson waived after being claimed earlier in the week by the team. Olszewski is listed as questionable with a back issue. The club added three players from its practice squad—outside linebacker Tomon Fox and defensive lineman Elijah Garcia, and linebacker Neville Hewitt—to bolster depth.

KC has a notable home-road quirk: the Chiefs have won in every team's home stadium — except the Giants. They are 0-7 in road games against New York clubs, though they beat the Jets at MetLife in 2023. Mahomes, meanwhile, has led KC in rushing with 123 yards this season, signaling a different dimension to the Chiefs’ offense that could test New York’s pursuit angles and space control.

Giants outside linebacker Brian Burns said quarterbacks are testing the edge more and more. "Quarterbacks I feel like are starting to abuse that rule," Burns said. "It’s a feel thing. You should know when you can hit him and when you have to pull up." The defense will need to balance pressuring Mahomes with preventing Kelce from finding clean windows over the middle and along the sidelines.

With Kelce at the center of KC's plans, New York intends to mix coverages and keep the front-seven pressure steady as MetLife Stadium hosts a national Sunday night audience. The matchup will hinge on whether Nubin can handle Kelce one-on-one or with help from the secondary, and whether the Giants can minimize the big plays that have defined Kansas City’s approach this season.