The Kansas City Chiefs are still dealing with the fallout from their painful Week 8 defeat to the Denver Broncos, and the latest comments from Travis Kelce have added another twist to the conversation. While Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid questioned a crucial penalty that hurt Kansas City’s chances of winning, Kelce has taken a different position. The veteran tight end backed the officials’ decision, admitting that the Chiefs committed a penalty. His comments also come as Mahomes addresses another major talking point surrounding the team’s late-game decisions and Reid’s reluctance to use quarterback sneaks.
Travis Kelce disagrees with Patrick Mahomes over Chiefs’ controversial penalty
The Chiefs had a golden opportunity to steal a victory against Denver after reaching the goal line in the closing seconds. However, a false start penalty pushed Kansas City into a difficult position before the offense failed to convert on fourth down.The call quickly became a major talking point, particularly after Mahomes suggested that officials might have allowed the play to continue in a high-pressure situation.Speaking on Wednesday’s episode of the New Heights podcast, Travis discussed the decision alongside his brother, Jason Kelce. Unlike his quarterback, the Chiefs tight end had little doubt about whether the officials made the right call.“A lot of people are saying this wasn’t a penalty; I’m going to go on record and say that this is definitely a penalty,” Jason said.Travis agreed with his brother’s assessment, acknowledging the movement that led to the flag.“Yeah, he flinches,” the Chiefs tight end admitted.However, Kelce refused to make the penalty the sole reason behind Kansas City’s defeat. He believed the offense still had an opportunity to finish the drive.“At the end of the day, we still had another play,” Travis said. “I’ll take my guy Pat Mahomes on the six-yard line with the game on the line; I’ll take that any day of the week. So we gotta execute at the end even more. We can’t let the penalty absolutely deflate us and not let us execute at the end of the game.”
Patrick Mahomes addresses Andy Reid’s quarterback sneak decision
Meanwhile, Mahomes has another issue to address following the Chiefs’ 28-24 loss. Kansas City entered the fourth quarter with an 11-point advantage but failed to protect its lead.One particular decision drew criticism. On third-and-goal from the Denver one-yard line, Reid called a handoff to Kenneth Walker III instead of attempting a quarterback sneak. Walker was stopped short, wasting a valuable scoring opportunity.Mahomes made it clear that he would not hesitate to take the ball himself if the situation demanded it.“I’m going to do whatever it takes to win,” Mahomes said. “Quarterback sneak, whatever it is, it’s not like I’m scared to put my body on the line. That’s how I’ve played. It’s gotten me in trouble sometimes, and sometimes it’s helped the team. That’s stuff we’ll continue to evaluate and work on to make ourselves better for future references.”The quarterback also acknowledged that such a decision must deliver results.“If I do that, it better work,” Mahomes said. “I understand people watch the film and see stuff and want you to go out there and make it happen. But, the play call is what we call, and we want to execute that play. That’s stuff that we evaluate and learn from. We’ll try to be better the next few weeks. If I call my own number, it’s got to work.”With Kansas City facing questions about its execution, play-calling and late-game composure, the pressure is growing on Reid and Mahomes to find answers before their next challenge.