The Kansas City Chiefs are spiraling, and their latest 20-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day saw the team’s late-season frustrations put on full display.
Late in the first half of Monday’s matchup, Kelce was seen slamming his helmet into the water cooler on the Kansas City sideline after the offense was stopped as the team entered halftime down 17-7 to Las Vegas.
The cameras then panned to Kelce talking things over with Andy Reid, and the head coach told reporters after the game that the veteran tight end is just competitive and wants to perform well.
“He went back in and did a nice job. Things happen. Emotional game,” Reid said. “Travis is emotional, and sometimes my red hair gets to me a little bit. But it all works out.”
Kelce caught five passes for 44 yards on seven targets in the loss. He is the most important member of the Kansas City offense aside from quarterback Patrick Mahomes, so he’s expected to meet expectations if not exceed them.
Mahomes was particularly disappointing against the Raiders, completing just 27 of 44 passes for 235 yards and one touchdown against one interception, in addition to rushing for 53 yards on 10 carries.
Mahomes also lost a fumble in the second quarter that was returned for a Las Vegas touchdown, giving the Raiders a 9-7 lead, which they never gave up.
Kansas City could have clinched a playoff berth with a win over Las Vegas on Monday, but they’ll now have to wait a little longer to lock up a playoff berth as they now remain third in the AFC with a 9-6 record.
The Chiefs have lost three of their last four games and will be hoping to close out the regular season strong with wins over the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Chargers.
