Over the years, few players have haunted the Cincinnati Bengals quite like Travis Kelce. The Kansas City Chiefs’ star tight end has made a habit of delivering heartbreak to the Queen City-something even George Clooney, a die-hard Bengals fan and Hollywood icon, can’t ignore.
On a recent episode of New Heights, the Kelce brothers’ popular podcast, Clooney joined the show and didn’t hold back. While he’s got no beef with Jason Kelce, George made it clear that Travis is a different story.
“Travis, you broke me, man,” Clooney said. “I’m a Bengals fan, dude, I grew up in Cincinnati.
You’ve broken me so many times, and your pretty face [is] on GQ. You know how many times I’ve thrown a hoagie at my TV at your face?”
It was a moment that was part comedy, part therapy session-and every Bengals fan could relate. But for Travis Kelce, the rivalry cuts both ways.
He fired back with a reminder that Cincinnati passed on him in the 2013 NFL Draft, despite his college career at the University of Cincinnati. “They broke me first,” Kelce said.
Since then, Kelce has made it his mission to prove the Bengals wrong. And he’s done it in style.
The Chiefs-Bengals rivalry didn’t truly catch fire until Patrick Mahomes took over as Kansas City’s starting quarterback in 2018. Since then, the matchups between these two AFC powerhouses have delivered some of the most memorable moments in recent postseason history.
Mahomes has faced the Bengals seven times, with a 3-2 record overall and a 1-1 split in the playoffs. Their most iconic clash came in the 2021 AFC Championship Game, when Joe Burrow and the Bengals stunned the Chiefs in overtime, 27-24, to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl. Cincinnati would fall short in the big game against the Rams, but that win in Arrowhead was a defining moment for the franchise.
The following year, the Chiefs got their revenge, knocking off the Bengals in another AFC title game. That win helped propel Kansas City to another Super Bowl run-and another ring for Mahomes and Kelce.
Their most recent meeting came early in the 2024 season, a tight Week 2 battle that saw the Chiefs edge the Bengals 26-25. It was another chapter in a growing rivalry that’s become must-watch football.
As of now, the two teams aren’t scheduled to meet during the 2025 regular season. But with both squads firmly in the playoff hunt year after year, a postseason rematch is always on the table-and always highly anticipated.
For Kelce, these games carry a little extra weight. Born and raised in Ohio, he’s never forgotten where he came from-or who passed on him. But Kansas City gave him his shot in 2013, and the rest is history: ten Pro Bowl selections, three Super Bowl titles, and a legacy as one of the greatest tight ends the game has ever seen.
Meanwhile, the Bengals are still chasing their first Super Bowl win. And as long as Travis Kelce is suiting up in red and gold, he’s going to make sure that road stays as difficult as possible for his hometown team.
George Clooney might want to keep a few extra hoagies on hand.