The Kansas City Chiefs‘ offense collapsed against the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day.
During the 20-14 loss, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes couldn’t get anything going. Tight end Travis Kelce, who’s typically Mahomes’ most reliable target, finished with just five catches for 44 yards.
Between silly mistakes, poor decisions, and penalties, Kelce lost it. He spiked his helmet on the sidelines in anger. A video of the outburst quickly went viral on X, formerly known as Twitter. Viewers watched as head coach Andy Reid gave the veteran a stern chat before Kelce re-entered the game.
During the December 27 episode of his “New Heights” podcast, Kelce opened up about his sideline incident. He sounded off on how the offense played like “trash” against the Raiders. “We handed that team a win on Christmas. We literally played Santa and gave them a present,” Kelce said. “That was embarrassing.”
“It’s frustrating when you know you got the guys and you got everybody that you need and things just aren’t going your way.”
While Reid chalked up Kelce’s helmet spike as “things happen” after the game, Kelce confirmed there were no lingering issues between him and the coach. “He’s looking out for me, and I love him for it,” Kelce said. “I didn’t go back out there and play good.”
“He wanted to see the fire in me and I reacted in a bad way. He wanted to just get the best out of me, and right now I’m just not playing my best football. I gotta f****** lock the f*** in, be more accountable for him, be more accountable for my teammates. I gotta keep my f****** cool because as a leader on this team that’s not how you switch the momentum.”
Travis Kelce Said Chiefs’ Issues on Offense are ‘Frustrating’
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce
GettyChiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce at Gillette Stadium on December 17, 2023.
While Kelce is just 32 yards away from having his eighth consecutive season with at least 1,000 yards, the All-Pro is also struggling with dropped passes. Heading into Week 17, the Chiefs lead the league with 39 dropped passes, per Bet MGM.
“It’s a frustrating f****** experience right now,” Kelce told his brother, Eagles center Jason Kelce, on their podcast. “Every single day we’re going in here fixing it. I promise you guys, it’s not just one guy, it’s not just me playing like dog s***, it’s not just not being able to get the run game going. It’s not just us not being on the same page passing wise. Everybody’s in this f****** thing together.”
The Chiefs Will Look to Bounce Back Against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17
The Chiefs (9-6) can still win the AFC West, however, they are no longer capable of winning the No. 1 seed in the conference, per CBS Sports. That means Mahomes is set to make his first career playoff start on the road.
Kansas City must win or tie in one of their next two games to clinch the AFC West. Next up, the Chiefs host the Cincinnati Bengals (8-7) on December 31. In order to propel another run to the Super Bowl, Kelce needs everyone to step up, including himself.
“Everybody’s just gotta do their f****** job,” the 34-year-old said. “Every single play, it’s someone not doing their job. It’s me, one by one it’s everybody on the team.
“It hasn’t been a well-oiled machine like we’ve been in the past… We got to take a little bit more ownership in what we’re doing. I’m not saying that I’m out of this, I’m the main part of this. We got to try to find a way to clean this s*** up, man.”
