The Kansas City Chiefs were eliminated from the playoffs after losing their must-win game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Dec. 14
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Travis Kelce is pictured after the Los Angeles Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs game on Dec. 14, 2025NEED TO KNOW
- Travis Kelce is reflecting on the Kansas City Chiefs missing out on the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons
- The tight end opened up about the team's latest loss and shared his attitude towards the rest of the NFL season on the Dec. 17 episode of his New Heights podcast
- Travis said the team "needs to go back to the drawing board"
Travis Kelce is adamant he's going to end this year's NFL season on a high note despite the Kansas City Chiefs being missing out on the playoffs over the weekend.
While speaking on the latest episode of his New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce podcast, which aired on Wednesday, Dec. 17, Travis, 36, admitted things "just didn't go our way" before the Chiefs lost their must-win game to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Dec. 14.
Sunday saw the Chiefs get knocked out of the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons, as well as Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes suffering a nightmare injury for the team, which turned out to be an ACL and LCL tear in his left knee. The Chiefs announced on Monday, Dec. 15 that Mahomes underwent successful surgery and will start rehab "immediately."
Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty
Travis Kelce is pictured after the Los Angeles Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs game on Dec. 14, 2025While the Chiefs won't be in the playoffs, the team still has three more games to play this season. They take on the Tennessee Titans on Dec. 21, the Denver Broncos for a Christmas Day game at home and the Las Vegas Raiders on Jan. 4.
Discussing Sunday's eventful game and the rest of the NFL season, Travis insisted, "That's the game for you right there. It's just things just … when you need them the most just weren't falling for us, and, you gotta go back to the drawing board, man."
"We got three games left. I know we're still talking about this game, but, the integrity of who you are as a professional, as a player, you gotta love this s---, man," the tight end went on, insisting, "And Chiefs Kingdom, we're gonna give you everything we got."
"There's no question about that. There's only one way I do things. There's only one way coach [Andy] Reid does things. And if we're gonna go out there and play some football, we're gonna do it the right way and, keep trying to get these things fixed and end on the highest note that we can," the athlete added.
As Jason, 38, mentioned that the Chiefs had been eliminated from the postseason for the first time since 2014, which he called "an outrageous stat," the retired Philadelphia Eagles star asked his brother, "How do you approach the rest of the season? You talked about it a little bit. We're gonna go out there and battle together."
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Travis Kelce at the Los Angeles Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs game on Dec. 14, 2025Travis acknowledged that it was "kinda unfamiliar territory at this point for a lot of guys in the building," adding, "I'm the only one that's been on the team long enough to see us not make the playoffs."
He said the situation is "obviously f----- up" and is "a new feeling."
"All I'd know is to go out there and play my ass off and to show up and, you know, give my guys the best chance to win. I think that's the mentality, man. There's an integrity thing here that when you sign up for the gig, you're living out your dreams. You're living out a kid's dream that never got a chance to do this," Travis said on his podcast.
He said that although he's playing the game "obviously to win Super Bowls" and "to be in those playoff scenarios and stuff," he's just thankful to be playing in the NFL "at the end of the day."
"That's a f------ blessing. That's an honor. It's an honor to be out there," he said. "It's an honor to feel the soreness after a game because you're actually out there. You're f------ doing it."
He insisted, "It's an honor to be out there in a uniform, playing for the guys around you, playing for your family, playing for the people back home that are watching you, that have known you since you were a little kid dreaming about this moment, or dreaming about these moments being in the NFL."
"And I'll tell you what, man. If there's a game to be had, baby, I'm gonna go out there, and I'm gonna love f------ playing in it, no matter if it's a game that, in the playoffs or gets us in the playoffs or a game that, you know, seems like it doesn't have any implications of that. And that's the integrity you gotta f------ go out there with," Travis continued.
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Travis' comments come after he was seen on camera appearing to hold back tears after Sunday's game against the Chargers, somberly hanging his head as he walked past reporters and fans on his way to the locker room, per a video shared on X.
At one point, Travis lightly hit the wall in frustration as he accepted the Chiefs' fate this season. He also declined to speak to reporters after the loss, telling them, "It's not the time."
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Category: General Sports