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The Kansas City Chiefs are off to a 2-0 start to the 2024 NFL season, but the early wins are not stopping Travis Kelce from looking at the bigger picture. According to the tight end, Patrick Mahomes and company have plenty of work to do.
On the latest episode of his “New Heights” podcast with his brother Jason, Travis stressed that the Chiefs need to stop putting themselves in situations where the officials’ decisions can influence the outcome of a game.
“At the end of the day, man, you can’t put it in the refs’ hands that late in the game,” Kelce said, as quoted by Sports Illustrated. “And that’s for both of us, both sides of the ball.
Obviously, you want to play physical [and] you want to make sure you make that play but if you’re going to put it in the refs’ hands, you’re playing with fire. It is what it is. You’re just playing with fire, man. That’s why as an offense, we’ve got to make sure we don’t put ourselves in a position where we have to score at the end of the game.“
Kelce’s comments came after the controversial play that led to Harrison Butker’s game-winning field goal for the Chiefs against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. In a fourth-and-16 situation with less than a minute left on the clock, Mahomes threw an incomplete pass to wide receiver Rashee Rice.
The Chiefs, however, were saved by a penalty that allowed them to keep possession. And while the defensive pass interference called on Bengals safety Daijahn Anthony proved crucial for Kansas City, it also sparked strong criticism from the rest of the NFL. That’s why Kelce is calling on his teammates to take care of business before the refs can affect the result.
