Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce spoke candidly about his fourth-quarter fumble vs the Bengals on his New Heights podcast.
While there were a number of pivotal plays that contributed to the Kansas City Chiefs‘ most recent loss—a three-point road loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13—one of the most recognized was a late-game fumble by All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce in the fourth quarter. And if fans thought the play stuck with them, Kelce hs been living with the ramifications of that mistake more than anyone else.
Kelce has a new vehicle for communication these days with his New Heights podcast, co-hosted by his brother Jason Kelce, and it’s a way to hear direct from Kelce (and his guests) about a number of subjects they choose to tackle. On the latest episode, Jason brought up the Chiefs’ loss to the Bengals and asked Travis about his fumble in particular. It was interesting to hear his quote.
“I handed ‘em one, man. As much as I’ve talked about being accountable and at my best when my team needs me to be at my best in critical moments, I wasn’t. It’s unfortunate, man. That shit stings. I ain’t had much energy since. I’ve been trying to get the juices going and getting excited about the Denver Broncos this week.
“But that shit stings and the way I wasn’t accountable for my guys knowing how big of a moment that was and having ball security is number one thing that needs to be on your mind when you have the ball in your hand in a moment like that
“I got caught down by my hip trying to break through a tackle and he got a good grasp on it early. He saw me fighting for it and, sure enough, that thing popped out and I let the dreams, goals, and aspirations of the entire team out as well when that happened. It was not being accountable and digging ourselves a hole that we didn’t even need to dig.”
For all of the blame Kelce is hoisting on his own shoulders, it should be noted that he’s also been a candidate to be the team’s MVP this year with 77 catches for 968 yards and a league-leading 12 touchdowns (also a personal best).