Travis Kelce during game against the Las Vegas Raiders on December 25, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Travis Kelce is ready to move forward after another “deflating” NFL defeat.
Kelce, 34, broke down the Las Vegas Raiders’ Christmas Day victory over the Kansas City Chiefs during the Wednesday, December 27, episode of “New Heights,” telling his brother and cohost, Jason Kelce, that the Chiefs offense was “trash” on the field. “We handed that team a win on Christmas. We literally played Santa and gave them a present,” Travis added. “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.”
Jason, 36, noted that “the frustration was visible on the sideline” for the whole team — especially Travis. “Obviously, you had the incident where you tossed your helmet, in typical Kelce fashion. Very normal Kelce thing to do, apparently, when you get pissed off,” he teased.
Before the first half ended on Monday, December 25, Travis threw his helmet onto the ground, earning a little pep talk from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid. In a postgame interview, Reid conceded that it was an “emotional game” and “things happen,” adding that Travis “went back in and did a nice job.” (The Chiefs ultimately lost 20-14.)
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While Travis appreciated Reid’s kind words, he saw the situation a little differently. “I didn’t go back out there and play good,” he said on Wednesday. “He wanted to see the fire in me and I reacted in a bad way. He wanted to get the best out of me and right now I’m just not playing my best football.”
The Chiefs have a “short week,” facing off against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, December 31, at Arrowhead Stadium — and Travis is ready to turn the season around. “I gotta f–king lock the f–k in and be more accountable for him and be more accountable for my teammates,” he continued. “I gotta keep my f–king cool, man, ’cause as a leader on this team, that’s not how you switch the momentum.”
Travis Kelce Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Despite the tough loss, Jason reminded his brother of a few “bright spots” from Monday’s game, including Travis’ 900th career catch. His girlfriend, Taylor Swift, was there to cheer him on alongside her parents, Scott and Andrea Swift, and Travis’ dad, Ed Kelce.
Travis publicly made the first move on “New Heights” in July after Taylor, 34, brought her Eras Tour to Kansas City. He subsequently invited her to see him “rock the stage” at Arrowhead Stadium when the NFL season began, an offer she accepted in September. She revealed earlier this month that she and Travis were already “a couple” by the time she attended her first game.
“We actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I’m grateful for, because we got to get to know each other,” she told TIME Magazine in her 2023 Person of the Year cover story.
Taylor has been spotted at several of Travis’ games since September, bonding with his parents and other members of Chiefs Kingdom, from Travis’ pal Aric Jones to Mahomes’ wife, Brittany Mahomes. For the festive game on Monday, Taylor was spotted wearing a Santa hat embroidered with Travis’ jersey number, 87, and a pair of “T” earrings. She and Travis were later seen holding hands as they left the stadium together.
Chiefs fans initially saw an improvement in Travis’ performance on the field when Taylor was present, with a CBS broadcast showing in October that Travis averaged 99 yards per game with Taylor’s support compared to only 46.5 yards when “left to his own devices.” The team’s record has been rocky ever since, leading some fans to wonder whether Taylor is really a good luck charm, but Travis is taking accountability for the upsets.
“Everybody’s just gotta f–king do their job. Every single play, [there’s] somebody not doing their job,” he said on Wednesday. “And it’s me, it’s everybody on the team. … It hasn’t been a well-oiled machine like we’ve been in the past.”
