Getty Travis Kelce of the Chiefs (left) and Patriots coach Bill Belichick
Around New England, Patriots coach Bill Belichick is not held in the highest of esteem these days. After years of riding Tom Brady to Super Bowls, the wheels have come off for the Patriots, who went from a 10-7 team with a promising young quarterback, Mac Jones, to a 3-11 disaster whose only hope lies in the 2024 draft. For the rest of the league, though, the teams that Belichick built over the last two decades still resonate, and that was clear from what Chiefs star Travis Kelce had to say on Sunday.
Kelce was held to a relatively mild five catches for 28 yards against New England, a team against which he has typically struggled. Kelce has never had a 100-yard receiving day against the Patriots, and only scored one touchdown, back in 2014. He has had nine total catches for 46 yards in two playoff losses to the Patriots.
After the Chiefs ground down the Patriots on Sunday, Kelce praised Belichick.
“I’ve just got all the respect in the world for that guy,” Kelce told reporters after the game. “Every single time I go up against him – it’s the toughest job in the NFL, to go up against a Bill Belichick defense. He throws so much at you. He always has a lot of guys that can play smart, so hats off to Belichick for today, for making my life tough, that’s for damn sure. On top of that, getting a good group of guys that play well together, I’ve got a lot of respect for that team.”
Travis Kelce showing a ton of respect towards Bill Belichick
“I got a feeling that guy has some football left in him.”
Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, ‘Great Players’
Given how beleaguered Belichick has been in New England this season, it’s little wonder he embraced the thumbs-up from Kelce. Reports have swirled around Belichick’s future with the Patriots, and it appears he could be on his last go-round with the organization.
The normally tight-lipped Belichick had a strong and warm response to Kelce and the Chiefs.
“Yeah, well, I have a ton of respect for the Chiefs organization, Andy [Reid]. [Patrick] Mahomes, Travis Kelce, they’re both great players,” Belichick said. “They’re hard to coach against, hard to defend. So, I have a ton of respect for the way they play the game and how good they are, how consistent they are and the job they’ve done.”
Mahomes, too, had high praise for Belichick, and said he appreciated the fact that the challenges of past Patriots defenses has helped make him a better quarterback.
“Belichick is going to be in that separate wing of the Hall of Fame,” Mahomes said. “The coach and the defensive mind is special. It’s made me better, honestly.”
Bill Belichick Addresses Chad Ryland Misses
Alas, it is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world, and Bill Belichick’s recent resume is spotty. He’s had an especially tough time with some questionable draft decisions. In fact, he had another in 2023 when he chose Chad Ryland with his fourth-round pick. Ryland is a sort of emblem of all that has gone wrong under Belichick recently.
He is just 13-for-20 on field goals, which is second-worst in the NFL. He missed one on Sunday.
Belichick was asked what his message to Ryland is. “Pretty much the same message to everyone,” he said. “We take a look at what we do, we correct our mistakes. We work to improve them, and then go out there next time. That’s me, the coaching staff and the players, everybody.”