After the Kansas City Chiefs’ frustrating loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Travis Kelce said the team has no one to blame but themselves for the defeat. Kelce, 34, spoke to reporters in the locker room after the 27-19 loss, where the Kansas City tight end said that the Packers “executed better” during the matchup at Lambeau Field.
“That’s a good football team, and they executed better than us, and that’s the bottom line,” Kelce told sports reporter Aaron Ladd. Kelce caught four passes for 81 yards on Sunday, but he couldn’t reel in a fifth on the final play of the game when Patrick Mahomes threw a Hail Mary pass towards the endzone in the hopes of to tying it up and forcing overtime. Going forward, Kelce said the Chiefs have to “keep rallying together and keep just fighting and growing together” to get back in the win column for next week.
“I ain’t gonna blame this thing on anybody but ourselves,” Kelce added after the game. Fans and commentators noted a number of disputed calls from officials during the matchup on Sunday, including a non-call in the final moments of the game that favored the Packers. Mahomes also spoke to reporters after the loss and said, “It is what it is,” regarding the officiating.
Mahomes continued, “Obviously, the guy was probably a little early, but at the end of the game they’re letting guys play. I’m kind of about that. I’d rather you let the guys play and let the guys win it on the field. It’s a hard job, man.” The two-time Super Bowl winner added, “When we’re in that situation, I can’t be wanting a flag. I have to try to go out there and win the game myself and with the rest of my teammates.”
Next, Kelce and the Chiefs will host the Buffalo Bills at Arrowhead Stadium. Sunday’s game marks the first time singer Taylor Swift was in attendance for a Chiefs loss. Swift sat in a suite with Brittany Mahomes and Lyndsey Bell, the wife of fellow tight end Blake Bell, in the suite, who all wore nearly identical red teddy coats while cheering on their beaus. Despite Sunday’s loss, Kelce’s performance on the field has been at an elite level amid his relationship with the pop icon.
Last Sunday, Kelce set a new NFL record for reaching 11,000 receiving yards in the fewest number of games (154) as a tight end, according to NFL.com, surpassing former Chiefs star Tony Gonzalez who had previously held the record. After his exciting achievement, Swift “liked” an Instagram post from Travis’ team as the Chiefs celebrated the record on Monday.
“Fastest tight end to 11k receiving yards AND the only player in franchise history to do it 🏹,” the Kansas City Chiefs wrote of Kelce. Discussing Travis’ record and Swift’s show of support on their podcast, his brother, Jason Kelce, noted, “You might not care about records but you know who does, a 92 percent-er by the name of Taylor Swift. That’s right. She liked an Instagram announcement from the Chiefs about you breaking this record.”
“Alright now. Thanks Tay,” responded Travis, while laughing at his brother’s comment. “Gotta love the support,” quipped Jason, 36. “Has she always been a fan of tight end receiving yards? Is she a big tight end receiving yards [fan]?” Travis replied, “I’m not sure, that’s a good question. Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t know if she’s a fan of tight ends or not. I have to ask her.”
