Getty Travis Kelce (87) during the Chiefs' loss to the Raiders
Far be it from any member of the Kansas City Chiefs to shower the Raiders with praise of any sort, but it would be fair, at least, to tip the cap and give some credit to a team that bests you. That’s what the Raiders did on Monday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium, though to hear Chiefs star Travis Kelce tell it, the game was more about the home team’s own foibles rather than anything the Raiders did.
Yes, according to Kelce, the Chiefs donated the 20-14 win to the Raiders more than the Raiders earned it.
“That was embarrassing,” Kelce told his brother, Eagles star Jason Kelce, on their popular “New Heights” podcast.
“We handed that team a win on Christmas,” Travis Kelce said. “We literally played Santa and gave them a present. … All I got for you is that was embarrassing, everybody in the building knows how embarrassing it was. And we got a short week so we’re gonna forget about this sh** real quick.”
The Raiders would, no doubt, disagree with the assessment that they were handed anything. All week heading into the Chiefs game, the Raiders expressed confidence that they could be more physical than Kansas City. And they were, sacking Patrick Mahomes four times and forcing running back Isaiah Pacheco into a lost fumble that yielded a touchdown.
“You got to walk into the building believing you are the baddest ass, right? You got to believe you are top notch,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said ahead of the game.
Raiders Made Life Difficult for Patrick Mahomes
The Raiders were. They held the Chiefs offense to 308 yards and, in addition to sacking Mahomes four times, they forced him to run 10 times, the most of the season for him.
When Jason Kelce pointed out that the Raiders have a good defense, and that they held the Chiefs to just minus-18 yards in the first quarter (after holding them to 12 yards in the first quarter of their first matchup this season), Travis Kelce still declined to give the Raiders any credit.
“Just can’t catch a rhythm,” Travis Kelce said. “It’s not just the Raiders. It’s been a lot of teams that we’ve played. Trying to catch a rhythm and catch stride, knowing that we got guys that we can win with. And it’s a frustrating f***ing experience right now.”
Travis Kelce Embarrassed Himself With Tantrum
Perhaps the Raiders should simply take comfort in knowing that they got inside Travis Kelce’s head. He can opt to give the Raiders credit or not, but they forced him into one of the more embarrassing moments of his NFL career, when he slammed his helmet in frustration after a Chiefs fake punt in the second quarter.
Kelce had five catches for 44 yards in the game. There was a small confrontation with coach Andy Reid, but Kelce said he was grateful for Reid’s guidance.
Travis Kelce was not stoked
“He was looking out for me and I love him for it,” he said of Reid. “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. And right now, I’m just not playing my best football and I gotta f***ing lock f***ing in and be more accountable for him, be more accountable for my teammates.
“I gotta keep my f***ing cool, man. As a leader on this team, that’s not how you switch the momentum. We just gotta get everybody on the same f***ing page.”
That would help. Not having to play the Raiders again should help, too.
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Travis Kelce Disrespects Raiders After ‘Embarrassing’ Chiefs Loss