Travis Kelce makes promise to Chiefs fans: ‘We’re gonna start putting points up’
On the Chiefs’ final possession of their 16-14 win over the Broncos on Sunday, quarterback Patrick Mahomes misfired on a pass to Travis Kelce, who was open in the end zone.
Earlier in the game, Mahomes also failed to connect on a deep throw to Xavier Worthy, who had separated from a Broncos defender.
In his weekly chat on 96.5 The Fan, Mahomes was asked which missed throw that stood out to him.
“I think the one to Trav was probably the biggest one, just because at the moment of the game, and then he was open,” Mahomes said. “So just getting the throw down a little bit, letting him get a chance to go up and catch it in the back of the end zone. It just puts our defense in a better spot where ... they know what the Broncos need to get to, and they can coach that way. And so that was big.
“The one to Worthy, I mean, you want to hit those deep ones. We’ve missed a couple of those these last few weeks, but that was more of off-script, kind of he was going one way, and kind of saw him beat his guy and try to make the throw. But still throws I believe I can make.”
Kelce said in the latest episode of the New Heights podcast that he was actually to blame for the incomplete pass in the fourth quarter.
“It was a great ball by Pat. I was fading, so I didn’t have my feet under me to be able to just spring up,” Kelce said. “And two plays or three plays before that, I actually got a first down, but they went cover zero, and all I had to do was make one guy miss and he wrapped my leg, he wrapped my shoes up.
“I put that much pressure on myself, or that much accountability on myself, to make that guy miss and be there, be that like difference maker. It’s just for whatever reason a good tackle by 6 (safety P.J. Locke), and I hate myself for it. I hate that everybody’s looking at Pat for like he overthrew me on that last play. It was a great ball. I just didn’t have my feet under me to go up and get it. It’s not even like it went over the crossbar. It was a very catchable ball.”
Kelce’s promise
The Chiefs have scored a touchdown on 54.3% of their trips to the red zone, which ranks 17th in the NFL. This season, the Chiefs are averaging 24.3 points per game, which is 11th in the NFL. They rank 10th in total offense.
But Kelce still believes the Chiefs can score in bunches, and he made a pledge to fans.
“A guy like Pat Mahomes is back there, coach (Andy) Reid dialing up plays,” Kelce said. “We have the pieces to put up points, man, and it is getting a little frustrating. But Chiefs Kingdom stick with us, baby. We’re gonna start putting points up, and we’re gonna do it in old Chiefs fashion.
“We’re finding ways to win, which is always a good thing, and we’re learning and we’re growing, and we’re definitely rolling with the punches in terms of how teams are playing us, and we’re growing with that. And I think that coach (Matt) Nagy, coach Reid, coach (Andy) Heck, the offensive staff that’s really creating these game plans, they’re putting us in great positions to have success.”
Kelce said the attention to detail on every snap of a game is pivotal to the team’s ability to move the ball and score points. And that goes for everyone on the field, including himself.
“It takes the the tight ends to be having their feet underneath them so we score touchdowns instead of field goals,” Kelce said. “It takes everybody up front to be on the same page so that we’re picking up blitzes. It takes everybody running their route to the discipline that coach Reid teaches it, so that guys get open faster and it’s a clearer picture for Pat. Everybody’s got to do their job every single play. And I know I haven’t done it. I’ve got to make sure that as a leader on this team, I’m doing everything I can to help this team and to make this thing go.”
The Chiefs’ next game is against the Bills, 8-2. Buffalo is averaging 29.0 points a game, which is third-best in the NFL.
Kelce said the time is now for the Chiefs offense to kick it into another gear.
“Now more than ever are we gonna need to score touchdowns,” Kelce said. “And I will be locked in this week to try and make sure I’m accountable for my guys.”
Mahomes on Worthy
Bills fans already are nervous about Worthy after the Chiefs got him in the first round thanks to a draft-day trade with Buffalo.
Worthy has 20 receptions for 246 yards and three touchdowns this season. He was close to reaching the end zone last Sunday but Mahomes’ pass led him out of bounds.
“Honestly, at the end of the day, I’ve got to make the throw,” Mahomes said in the radio interview. “It’s pretty simple. I mean, he’s getting open, he’s getting separation, and that’s what we got him here for. If I make the throws, he should have probably have three or four more touchdowns. So it’s about me just being better and making the throw.”
Price Carter of Arrowhead Addict shared a video of four times the Mahomes-Worthy link has been just a touch off this season.
Mahomes said he sees ways to improve the connection with Worthy.
“It’s just playing ball,” he said. “In that one (against Denver), it’s a difference whenever it’s kind of within the structure of the play, and I see him and I try to make the throw and make the touchdown throw, which has happened this year, but that’s happened good and bad. But whenever the play pops, and he might not be necessarily the main read, and kind of, like this one this last weekend, and I see him, I’ve got to be able to set my feet up and make the throw and keep it in bounds, give him a chance. And I thought he did a great job stacking on the red line and give me room to make the throw, and I threw it out of bounds.”
