The fallout from Super Bowl 59 continues, as Kansas City Chiefs superstar tight end Travis Kelce recently broke his silence about the game. The Chiefs were throttled by the Philadelphia Eagles 40-22, and Kelce was a non-factor.
He went on his “New Heights” podcast with his brother, long-time Philadelphia center Jason Kelce, and delivered a sincere message about his performance.
Travis Kelce Breaks Silence About Chiefs’ Super Bowl Loss
Kelce was Kansas City’s third-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, but a knee injury and subsequent microfracture surgery ended his rookie season early. His career got rolling in 2015 when he was elected to his first of 10 straight Pro Bowls, with seven of those seasons being selected to the first or second-team All-Pro lists.
The Chiefs have made the playoffs every year since 2015, with Kelce being a key component once Patrick Mahomes became the starting quarterback. The tight end is the all-time leader in postseason receptions with 178, and he led the playoffs in receptions and touchdowns in four of the team’s postseason runs.
However, Kelce’s play has noticeably fallen off the last two seasons as he failed to eclipse 1,000 yards or five touchdowns in both years. He turned it up for the 2023 postseason, catching 32 of 37 targets for 355 yards and three touchdowns, but could not find the magic in 2024, totaling just 175 yards, 13 receptions, and one score.
This season culminated with four catches on six targets in Super Bowl 59 for just 39 yards. He took time on the podcast to break down his performance.
After a few days to process it, Travis reflected on Super Bowl LIX
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“It just wasn’t our day. Couldn’t find a lick of momentum. I’m kicking myself for some of the tiny, tiny decisions I made on the field. I wasn’t the best leader I could be in motivating my guys, keeping my guys calm, cool, collected.”
Kelce has been one of the emotional leaders of the Chiefs but seemed lost on the sideline at times. He continued, “I put a lot of that on myself as, you know, the guy that’s been in the building for 12 years and seen a lot of football, and actually seen a situation just like this in the Super Bowl. It’s a tough pill to swallow. It’s a hard reality, man.”
Kelce mentioned Kansas City’s Super Bowl 55 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had 10 receptions for 133 yards in that game. It’s a much better individual performance, but the sting of losing still lingers for the tight end.
He continued, “I love my teammates, I love my coaches, Chiefs Kingdom. I’m sorry for how it ended. I have a beautiful life, man. I have loved ones. I have the most amazing family in the world that supports me in everything that I do, and they were all there cheering me on and hoping for the best on Sunday.”
There was a lot of remorse and disappointment in Kelce’s voice when he brought up his family.
“I wish things would have went different. I wish I had made better decisions early on and helped my guy Pat out, and helped my team find that momentum or that confidence. I just have to tip my hat to the Eagles,” Kelce states.
A Super Bowl loss hurts no matter the final score, but there’s no doubt Philadelphia was the better team. The Chiefs never stood a chance, and Kelce recognized that.
His brother jumped in to put a positive spin on the game. “I know this sucks to talk about, I’ve been here. There wasn’t all negative for the Chiefs. You broke the most catches in Super Bowl history.
“I know that you don’t probably care that much about it right now because of the way the game went. You have so many records at this point that this is kind of like just another one, but at the end of the day it’s just another thing that cements you as one of the best players ever to play in the NFL. Passed Jerry Rice, [Rob] Gronkowski, Andre Reed.”
It’s an impressive record to hold for the tight end, but he responded to his brother with a short message, “That’s the last thing that I care about right now.”
Time will tell if Travis Kelce decides to hang up his cleats, but he’s a legend of the game and will be remembered for much more than his Super Bowl 59 performance.
