Travis Kelce didn’t try to hide from it. On Monday night, the Chiefs tight end admitted he got away with a hold on one of Patrick Mahomes’ touchdown runs against the Denver Broncos, and that the play probably saved Kansas City from a much bigger problem.
The moment came on Mahomes’ 15-yard scramble to the end zone for the Chiefs’ first touchdown. Kelce was caught flat-footed at the goal line and wound up wrapping up Broncos defender Talanoa Hufanga in a way that kept the path clear for his quarterback. Mahomes then dove between two defenders and scored, with Kelce’s hold helping prevent what looked like a clean shot on the quarterback.
Kelce talked about it on the New Heights podcast, where he often dishes football talk during the season alongside his brother Jason, a former Philadelphia Eagles lineman.
“It was definitely a questionable play,” Kelce said in a report from Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “That’s one of those where you get up slowly like, ‘Please don’t be any laundry on the field.’
I had the man up by his neck. Can’t do it.
Can’t do it. Almost cost us.”
He added, “That would’ve been Patrick Mahomes’ second rushing touchdown called back in two plays, it was the same thing,” Kelce added . “That would’ve taken us out of the red zone.
That was risky business. You know what?
Sometimes you’re just living right.”
The officials didn’t flag the play. The explanation was simple enough: none of the on-field officials had a clear view, and offensive holding can’t be reviewed.
The earlier play Kelce referenced was a holding penalty on left tackle Kahlil Benson that wiped out a Chiefs touchdown.
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