Chiefs’ Travis Kelce broke down problems in AFC Championship Game in ESPN interview
ESPN viewers saw a lot of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce over the weekend. He joined “SportsCenter” on Friday and discussed what it was like not to be playing in Super Bowl LVI.
“Yeah, it stings. I’m not going to lie. It hurts a little bit,” Kelce said. “The next best thing is to be here, enjoying the atmosphere that is the Super Bowl.”
On Sunday, Kelce joined the “Postseason NFL Countdown” crew for its Super Bowl pregame show. Kelce was asked about the Chiefs problems in the second half of their 27-24 overtime AFC Championship Game loss to the Bengals.
First, Kelce praised Cincinnati for its second-half adjustments.
“That’s great coaching, that’s great attention to detail as players,” Kelce said. “And it’s just making plays when plays need to be made in the biggest moments. And that’s where we lost the game. We didn’t as players, we didn’t make those plays in the second half. And Joey B’s (Joe Burrow) got those guys with like horse blinders. They’re not looking behind, they’re not looking sideways, they’re looking to how they can attack the next play.”
Kelce was also asked if he noticed the Bengals’ defensive adjustments in the second half as the game was being played.
“Without a doubt, that was something coach (Andy) Reid and (offensive coordinator) coach Eric Bieniemy made a big harp on how are we going to react to what they’re going to do in the second half?” Kelce said. “We have to be able to run the ball when they know we’re running the ball. That first half you only have a certain amount of base game plan plays.
“Those first- and second-down runs, we weren’t getting the yards that we were getting in the first half, and that’s something that we have to do, knowing that that defense was getting great indicators and their coaches were giving the players a chance.”
The Chiefs’ rushing output dipped slightly in the second half (67 yards in 12 carries) compared to the first two quarters (72 yards in 12 rushes). But the Bengals changed their defensive scheme to focus more on the passing attack in the second half.
Here is Kelce’s appearance on “Postseason NFL Countdown,” and he also talked about his Lombardi Luge after Super Bowl LIV.
This story was originally published February 14, 2022 at 11:29 AM.
