Getty Travis Kelce
T
he relationship between Travis Kelce and New England Patriots has never been great.
As Kelce rose to stardom in his second season, Gronk-mania was running wild in New England. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski were dominating the league. The hate has stood the test of time.
Back in 2020, Kelce told Bleacher Report that “the Pats fans, for whatever reason, just hating me for being a white tight end wearing 87.”
Kelce added, “Like if I would’ve had on 84, none of this would’ve ever been talked about. But because I wore 87, all the sudden the ‘Pats Nation’ absolutely hated me.”
Now two years later, Kelce is once again touching upon his hatred for Patriots fans.
“I’m not sure if it’s mutual, but I absolutely hate playing the Patriots,” he said while discussing his biggest NFL rivals. “I’m mad at them for calling out my mom in the stands.
“Your momma jokes are cool, just when you say them to me, not my mom. Like when mom’s leaving the stadium, she’s getting heckled, you know, that’s just (expletive) low blows, man.”
So far this season, Kelce has continued to prove he is one of the best tight ends in the NFL. In 2022 he has 553 receiving yards and seven touchdowns per Pro Football Reference. In his career Kelce has 9,559 yards and 64 touchdowns.
Do Players Across the League Agree With Kelce?
Kelce then went on to say that players across the NFL share his sentiments about the fan base in New England.
“A lot of people say they go into New England and just get a bad taste in their mouth about Patriots fans,” he stated.
Fortunately for Kelce, his Chiefs will not make a trip to Gillette Stadium during the 2022 regular season.
What Does the Patriots Defense Need to Do In Week 9?
New England will be facing off against the Colts in Week 9 and will be looking to build off their Week 8 win over the New York Jets. The Patriots defense will be going up against Sam Ehlinger who replaced Matt Ryan as the starting quarterback. In one game so far this season, he has thrown for 201 yards and has failed to reach the end zone per Pro Football Reference.
Devin McCourty spoke to the media about what will be the key for the Patriots when going up against the Colts.
“Young guy, old guy, whoever you play at quarterback, I think one of the key things is always pressure,” McCourty said following practice. “I don’t think anybody wants to sit back there and throw the ball and worry about getting hit. When you can do that it changes the game for us in the back, and we’ve been very fortunate. Obviously, (Matthew) Judon jumps off the screen with his play and production.
“But I would say everybody at our front. Whether it’s been (Deatrich Wise), even (Lawrence Guy) got a sack last week. So, all of those guys being disruptive up front really helps us in the back end. That will be another big thing for us this week.”
If the Patriots are able to pressure Ehlinger and get in the Colts backfield, it should be a successful Week 9 for the team.