Travis Kelce gets candid on controversial call during Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs showdown vs Jets - “That’s football baby”
Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs survived a tighter-than-expected run-in with Zach Wilson and the New York Jets. Some have argued that the team should not have escaped the game with a win due to a late holding call against Sauce Gardner for allegedly holding Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Speaking on the New Heights Show, Kelce responded to the complaints about the call:
“Every holding call I feel like is controversial in my mind ... You just have to not put it in their hands. Don't even put it in the refs' hands to make that call…”
His brother Jason Kelce claimed that referees need to only call obvious penalties in critical situations. This was such a case where he believed it was obvious:
"In my opinion, it should be a clear blatant foul, which this was … A lot of people do complain about the Chiefs getting late calls that go their way and then winning the game. That's what good teams do - they capitalize on mistakes that other teams make. I think that this is a little bit of a fallacy that the Chiefs get all these calls"
Travis shrugged off the complaints:
“That's football baby.”
Travis Kelce held in check during unexpected Chiefs downturn
The superstar tight end might be reaching new levels of popularity, but his statistics on the field are not enjoying that same trajectory. In three games, the tight end has recorded two touchdowns and 155 yards, or about 50 yards per game.
That puts Travis Kelce on pace for about 850 yards this season. Of course, that's based on a 17-game pace, while he has already missed a game. Meaning, he is on pace for about 800 yards this season. If he follows through at that pace, he will miss the 1,000-yard mark for the first time since 2015. It also would be the fewest yards of his career aside from 2013 when he missed the season.
That said, his current pace allows room for him to hit 1,000 yards if he explodes in a couple of games this year.
The potential slump lines up with his age. At 34, he would be tied for the oldest tight end to ever reach the 1000-yard mark with Pete Retzlaff back in the 1960s. Of course, for the Chiefs to remain as potent on offense this year, they'll need their tight end to remain as explosive as in past seasons.
As it stands, Travis Kelce, Isiah Pacheco, and the rest of the Chiefs have tumbled down to ninth in points per game. Last year, the team was first in the category.
Will Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes return to the top, or will 2023 be remembered infamously by Chiefs fans as the beginning of the end?
If any of the above quotes are used, please credit the New Heights Show and H/T Sportskeeda.