The Chiefs were the victims of an upset to the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas
The Kansas City Chiefs have hit a rough patch.
Their loss on Christmas, despite being heavy favorites over the Las Vegas Raiders, was their fifth in their last eight games, and their expectations for a Super Bowl repeat have cooled off.
The loss also featured angry outbursts from both Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, when both of them fired helmets at the ground.
The tight end discussed the "f---ing frustrating experience" on his "New Heights" podcast with his brother Jason, who plays center for the Philadelphia Eagles.
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Travis Kelce, of the Chiefs, warms up prior to the Las Vegas Raiders game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Dec. 25, 2023, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
"We handed that team a win on Christmas. We literally played Santa and gave them a present," Kelce said.
"That was embarrassing. Everyone in the building knows how embarrassing that was. We got a short week, so we're gonna forget about this s--- real quick."
Kelce said that no one person is to blame for the recent tough stretch.
"It's not just one guy. It's not just me playing like dogs--- … Everybody's in this f---ing thing together … We just gotta bring it together, man…
"Everybody's gotta just f---ing do their job. Every single play, somebody's not doing their job. It's me, one-by-one, it's everybody on the team. Whether that's prep, whether that's having the confidence and understanding of what the defense is in … how we're picking up blitzes, how we're running routes versus certain overages, all of the above. We show sparks of what kind of offense we can be … it just hasn't been a well-oiled machine like we've been in the past, and we just gotta get everybody on the same f---ing page."
Travis Kelce during the game between Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs at Deutsche Bank Park on Nov. 5, 2023, in Frankfurt, Germany. (Mario Hommes/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
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Kelce also did not shy away from his verbal tussle with head coach Andy Reid that led to his helmet launch, admitting he was in the wrong and that he has to keep calm.
"He’s looking out for me, and I love him for it. I didn’t go back out there and play good," Kelce admitted. "He wanted to see the fire in me and I reacted in a bad way. He wanted to just get the best out of me, and right now I’m just not playing my best football and I gotta f---ing lock the f--- in, be more accountable for him, be more accountable for my teammates. I gotta keep my f---ing cool, because as a leader on this team, that’s not how you switch the momentum."
Mahomes has thrown for 300 yards just once in those last eight games, throwing just 11 touchdowns in that span versus eight interceptions. As for Kelce, after racking up 303 receiving yards in weeks 6 and 7 combined, he has just 443 yards since then, with five games under 60 – he has just one touchdown in that span, as well.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce warms up before the Miami Dolphins game on Nov. 5, 2023, in Germany. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
The Chiefs fell to 9-6, but still are a win away from clinching the division and making the playoffs for a ninth consecutive season. They have made the AFC title game five straight years.
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