Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce angered the media by making a quick exit from the Caesars Superdome after tasting Super Bowl defeat against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night. However, while addressing a cluster of reporters in Kansas City’s dressing room, the 35-year-old revealed head coach Andy Reid’s post-match rallying cry.
The Chiefs were eyeing a historic three-peat in New Orleans following narrow wins over Philadelphia and the San Francisco 49ers in 2023 and 2024.
But the Eagles soared into a stunning 34-0 lead in the third quarter as Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was sacked six times and threw two interceptions.
Kelce is at the centre of retirement speculation at the end of his 11th full season in the NFL and was reportedly crying as he left the stadium on Sunday night.
No one would have been more disappointed than Reid, who is widely considered one of the greatest NFL coaches in history.
The 66-year-old has led the Chiefs to 11 post-season appearances, nine straight division titles, seven successive AFC Championship games, five Super Bowl appearances and three Super Bowl titles.
And while speaking to a select pack of journalists in the dressing room before making his escape, Kelce explained that Reid told his defeated players.
“This one’s going to hurt. Let it hurt and figure out how to get better because of it,” said Reid, according to Kelce.
Kelce’s failure to fulfil his media duties came as a significant surprise, given his status as one of the NFL’s most talked-about stars.
His already lofty reputation from his success with Kansas City exploded to a new level after the emergence of his relationship with superstar singer Taylor Swift.
The pop icon was among the star-studded collection of guests at the Caesars Superdome but won’t be celebrating with her partner as in previous years.
Kelce also stated: “You know, hats off to the Eagles, man. They got after us, all three phases… we couldn’t get it going offensively.
“I mean, they just got after us on all three phases. And then, on top of that, turnovers, penalties, playing behind the sticks on offence, is just drop passes.
“Not taking advantage of the play call and executing. There’s a lot that goes into it. You don’t lose like that without everything going bad.
“We haven’t played that bad all year… just couldn’t find that spark. Couldn’t find that momentum.
“This team is going to fight till the end forever. And you saw that, even with the score late, we’re always going to fight.”
