Patrick Mahomes made quite a statement in his return to the field for the Kansas City Chiefs, but the star received a bit of help from Travis Kelce on the quarterback’s first touchdown. A replay showed Kelce holding a Denver Broncos defender in the end zone as Mahomes scored a touchdown.
Kelce admitted that it was a hold revealing on the “New Heights” podcast that, “I had the man up by his neck.”
“It was definitely a questionable play,” Kelce explained, per Pro Football Talk. “That’s one of those where you get up slowly like, ‘Please don’t be any laundry on the field.’ I had the man up by his neck Can’t do it. Can’t do it. Almost cost us.
“That would’ve been Patrick Mahomes’ second rushing touchdown called back in two plays, it was the same thing. That would’ve taken us out of the red zone. That was risky business. You know what? Sometimes you’re just living right.”
Here’s a look at the play that caught fans’ attention.
ESPN’s Troy Aikman on Patrick Mahomes’ TD vs. Broncos: ‘It Looked Like Travis Kelce Might Have Gotten Away With a Hold’
The play was initially pointed out by ESPN’s Troy Aikman as being a missed holding call.
“At the end of this play, it looked like Travis Kelce might have gotten away with a hold, but Patrick Mahomes, he does not protect himself as he thought he might,” Aikman remarked during the game broadcast.
“… Here’s a look at what looked to be a hold by Travis Kelce at the end of that play.”
ESPN’s rules analyst Russell Yurk also confirmed that the touchdown should have been called back.
“Yeah Troy, I agree with you,” Yurk added. “You could see Travis puts his left arm out and restricts over the chest of the defender trying to make the tackle.
“And that prevents him from really being able to get there. …I think it’s tough for the officials to see, but it is a hold.”
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Hold or no hold, the Chiefs dominated the Broncos to cruise to a 31-10 victory. It is hard to argue that the missed call impacted the outcome of the game in a major way.
Now, the Chiefs’ attention turns to the Indianapolis Colts for the Sunday Night Football matchup in Week 2. Mahomes admitted to taking a bit more hits on his previously injured leg than expected.
The good news is that the Chiefs QB1 appears to be just fine following his first game back on the field in nine months.
“If I was going to say I was nervous for anything, it was getting hit on it,” Mahomes said following the Chiefs’ win over the Broncos, per Sky Sports. “But I just wanted to play. I’ve done so much rehab and so much work to put myself in this position. I just wanted to play.
“This is what you do it for. My guys around me helped me. I didn’t play my best football and we went out and beat a really good football team pretty well, and it’s because the guys around me stepped up.”
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