Travis Kelce voiced his disappointment with the Kansas City Chiefs' recurring procedural mistakes following their 28-24 loss to the Denver Broncos, a defeat that allowed Denver to take sole possession of first place in the AFC West. The tight end criticized the team's inability to execute fundamental plays, particularly in critical moments.
"We got a lot of fight. You gotta take the positives out of this. You can’t dwell on it," Kelce told reporters after the game, as cited by The Athletic. "It’s a pretty good football team. Obviously, in our hearts, we feel like we should have came out with a victory, but at the same time, that’s not the reality of things. The reality of things is we got to fix a lot."
Kelce specifically pointed to issues that have surfaced since the team's bye week. "And the little things, mistakes, and it starts with the person that you’re looking at in the mirror. I’m one of them. I’ve been frustrated with myself on how long I’ve been in the league and the procedural stuff that’s happened for the past three games, really. Really since the bye and it’s frustrating. You just can’t f---ing do it. I gotta be better for my teammates and that sets the tone for a lot of people in this room. Everybody’s just gotta up the ante from that."
The Chiefs' offensive struggles in the game's final moments were exacerbated by a false start penalty on right tackle Jaylon Moore, which moved Kansas City backward. This penalty preceded a sack of quarterback Patrick Mahomes that effectively ended the team's chances to score the go-ahead touchdown.
Kansas City was penalized 11 times for 105 yards in the game. Despite the penalties, the team did not commit any turnovers. Kelce recorded five catches for 67 yards in the loss.
The Chiefs will return home to face the New York Jets in Week 9.