Travis Kelce faced one of the toughest nights of his career during the Kansas City Chiefs’ 20-10 loss to the Houston Texans on “Sunday Night Football.” The defeat dropped Kansas City to 6-7 and pushed the team close to missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
But while the loss stung, fans quickly rallied around the future Hall of Famer after an emotional moment on the sideline went viral.
Fans Rally Around Travis Kelce After Viral Sideline Moment
@nfloncbs Travis Kelce on the bench after his drop late in the 4th quarter #nfltiktok #nfl #chiefs #football
♬ vertigo (slowed) – insensible & énouement
Kelce finished with one catch for eight yards, and Mahomes struggled as well, completing 14-of-33 passes for 160 yards and three interceptions. But the most talked-about play came with 3:40 left in the fourth quarter. Down seven, Kansas City aimed to tie the game when Mahomes threw to Kelce for what looked like an easy first down. The ball slipped through Kelce’s hands and into the arms of Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.
Kelce went straight to the bench, closed his eyes and lowered his head. The “SNF” broadcast said, “And that says it all.” NFL on CBS posted the clip on TikTok with the caption, “Travis Kelce on the bench after his drop late in the 4th quarter.”
Fans jumped in to defend him. One wrote, “Have some respect. He’s a legend and also he’s had a great year this year. He had a bad game and he knows it. It sucks. Have some damn empathy people.” Another added, “It’s okay he is allowed to be human, there were 5 other drops, not just his.”
ESPN’s Jeff Darlington took to X to remind fans exactly what a great season Kelce is having, despite the mistakes against the Texans.
“For as much attention as Travis Kelce gets — positive, negative or otherwise — I’m not sure most people understand how high of a level he’s still playing at. Some numbers to consider: He’s 2nd among all tight ends in receiving yards this season — and 2nd in yards after the catch. He already has more YAC than all of last year. He’s scoring more touchdowns than he did last year. He’s averaging 12.1 yards per reception, his most since 2022 (12.2 yards per reception). And with 73 more yards, he joins Jerry Rice as the only players ever with 800 yards in 12 straight seasons.”
Taylor Swift attended with Selena Gomez and Lena Dunham. Leonardo DiCaprio was also spotted in Kelce’s suite. The Athletic currently lists the Chiefs’ playoff odds at 14%, though a four-game winning streak could push them above 50%.
Patrick Mahomes Opens Up About Kelce’s Future
After the game, Mahomes put Kelce’s night in perspective and acknowledged how quickly a career can change. “Every season I’ve had with him these last few years, I try to cherish because you never know,” Mahomes said. “He got himself in great shape this year and he’s played great football.”
Mahomes continued, “He’ll have the option to do whatever he wants to do after this season, but I know one thing: He’ll give everything he has for the rest of this season to try to give us a chance to make a playoff run. We know the chances are getting lower and lower.”
Kelce recently confirmed he plans to decide his future by early March. “I want to give the Chiefs a good opportunity, whether I come back or not,” Kelce said, via ESPN. “All that will be at the end of the season. I won’t be thinking about it until then.” He added that he has no interest in a farewell tour: “That’s not me.”
Even in a down year for the offense, Kelce still leads Kansas City in targets, receptions, yards, touchdowns, and first downs. Andy Reid praised his preparation, saying, “He worked like crazy in the offseason to get himself in tip-top shape. It’s paying off for him.”
With four games left, the Chiefs’ postseason hopes are slim — but fans made one thing clear after Sunday night: they’re standing by Kelce.
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