Travis Kelce wasn’t 100% going into this yr’s Tremendous Bowl LIX.
“He was battling with [a] fairly massive sickness there earlier than the Tremendous Bowl,” the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs GM Brett Veach mentioned in an interview on the Tuesday, February 25, episode of the NFL “Insiders” podcast, a clip of which host Tom Pelissero shared through X.
Veach mentioned that Kelce’s sickness was not an “excuse” for the Chiefs’ disappointing 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans on February 9. Nevertheless, he famous, “With the way in which the Eagles performed, it wouldn’t have made a distinction” to the end result of the massive title.
Veach additionally weighed in on Kelce’s NFL future amid hypothesis that the Chiefs tight finish, 35, may dangle up his boots. “I believe that Travis is happy to return again,” mentioned Veach. “He makes us higher when he’s within the locker room and on the sector. Excited to get him again.”
Kelce beforehand addressed the Chiefs’ Tremendous Bowl efficiency on his and his brother Jason Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast on February 12.
“Exterior of the sport I simply wished to thank my teammates for every thing they f—ing do man, you recognize. the hassle the main focus the work that we put in — that wasn’t the explanation,” he mentioned. “Going into the sport I felt as assured as I ever felt going right into a Tremendous Bowl or a playoff recreation or a giant recreation in my life … It simply wasn’t our day. Couldn’t discover a lick of momentum.”
Kelce mirrored on his personal position within the loss, including, “I’m kicking myself for a number of the tiny, tiny choices I made on the sector attempting to do one thing greater than what I used to be requested to do … I wasn’t the very best chief that I might be in motivating my guys, in retaining my guys calm, cool and picked up. I put quite a lot of that on myself because the man that’s been within the constructing for 12 years and seen quite a lot of soccer and truly seen a state of affairs similar to this in a Tremendous Bowl … It’s a troublesome capsule to swallow, man.”
Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Pictures Travis Kelce began making main profession strikes off the soccer subject whereas nonetheless enjoying within the NFL. Followers have seen a special aspect of the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs tight finish since he started internet hosting the “New Heights” podcast along with his brother, Jason Kelce, in 2022. Together with dissecting the highs and lows […]
Kelce defined that “each time” the Chiefs felt like they “acquired one thing going” on the sector, the play would take a flip. “To have it occur for the second time in my profession on the most important stage, man, it’s a troublesome capsule to swallow. It’s a tough actuality. … This sport can humble you fairly quick.”
The Chiefs had the chance to safe their third consecutive Tremendous Bowl title, however the Eagles dominated nearly all of the sport, retaining the Chiefs off the scoreboard till the third quarter. The Eagles finally received 40-22, incomes redemption for his or her 2023 Tremendous Bowl loss towards the Chiefs.
In a post-game interview following the Tremendous Bowl, Kelce mentioned, “Hats off to the Eagles, man. They acquired after us. All three phases. [We] couldn’t get it going offensively. They simply acquired after us on all three phases, and on prime of that, turnovers, penalties, enjoying behind the sticks on offense … dropped passes, not profiting from the play name and executing them. There’s lots that goes into it. You don’t lose like that with out every thing going dangerous. … [We] simply couldn’t discover that spark, couldn’t discover that momentum.”
