LAS VEGAS, Nevada — The Kansas City Chiefs did not enjoy much offensive success to start their latest championship bid, mustering just a single first down in a scoreless first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers — before coming back to repeat as champions in overtime. Star tight end Travis Kelce felt the frustration early in the game, hollering at coach Andy Reid in a sideline tirade caught by broadcast cameras.
Kelce grabbed Reid and yelled directly at him before running back Jerick McKinnon pulled his teammate back on the sidelines. The exchange came shortly after fellow Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco lost a fumble deep in 49ers territory. Some fans online indicated Kelce was not on the field for the play, which could’ve been the reason for his frustration.
After one half, the Chiefs star had just one catch for 1 yard as they trailed 10-3. After the break, however, Kelce came to life and finished with nine catches for 93 yards as his Chiefs won. Following their latest championship win, Reid joked with the CBS postgame show that Kelce “keeps me young.”
“He tested that hip out,” Reid quipped. “He caught me off balance – normally, I’d give him a little bit, but I didn’t have any feet under me.”
The head coach added during his postgame presser that Kelce’s outburst came from a desire to help the team.
“The part I love is that he loves to play the game and he wants to help his team win,” Reid told reporters. “It’s not a selfish thing, that’s not what it is, and I understand that. So as much as he bumps into me, I get after him and we understand that.”
This isn’t the first time Kelce has let his emotions run high during the Chiefs’ offensive struggles. Earlier this year, during K.C.’s Christmas Day matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders, he went viral for hurling his helmet at the ground on the sidelines. The tight end joked with ESPN that he was just telling Reid “how much I love him.”
“I got the greatest coach this game has ever seen,” Kelce told reporters. “He’s unbelievable at not only dialing up plays and having everybody prepared, but he’s one of the best leaders of men I’ve ever seen in my life. He’s helped me a lot with that, with chaneling that emotion, with chaneling that passion and I owe my entire career to that guy and being able to kind of control how emotional I get. I just love him, man.”
With his team-leading 93 receiving yards, Kelce became the third player in NFL history to lead three different Super Bowl champions in receiving yards, joining Jerry Rice and Michael Irvin.
Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes said the Kelce-Reid moment actually showed the fire that drives the Chiefs.
“That moment right there, that speaks to what kind of team we are, we all love it,” Mahomes said. “Everybody loves the game, everybody wants to compete. Coach Reid wants to compete as well, you watch out or you might get a little bit too. That’s the mentality we’ve always had and that’s how we can win this kind of game.”
