Kansas City, MO. – If Thursday night’s game was the last travis kels Played at Arrowhead Stadium, they certainly tried to make it memorable.
kansas city chiefs The tight end had only five catches for 36 yards denver broncos Playing with a third-string quarterback chris oladokun during starter patrick mahomes and backup Gardner Minshew Was out due to knee injury. But many of those catches came in the final minutes, allowing Kansas City to almost pull away in what could have been a surprise upset for the Broncos.
Kelce and company lost 20-13 In a game in which they were almost two-touchdown underdogs.
But it was a courageous performance from Kelce in his storied career.
The four-time All-Pro, who is expected to announce immediately after the season whether he is retiring, would have left his post a few weeks ago after the defending AFC champions were eliminated from the playoff race for the first time in a decade.
After going to five Super Bowls – including the last three – and winning three championship rings, the 36-year-old Kelce showed he has too much pride in leaving a losing season. He played in humiliating defeats at the lower level tennessee titans Last week. And he was one of the few bright spots for an offense on Christmas that finished with 139 total yards.
“A lot of emotions,” Kelce said afterward. “Everyone in the world is watching you. You get a chance to go out with the young guys on prime-time television. The young guys are getting a taste of what this NFL life is like.”
As far as retirement is concerned?
“I will make that decision with my family, friends, and major organization when the time comes,” Kelce said.
He was the last player introduced on Thursday night after Oladokun was taken out of the tunnel. As red lights flashed across the field, Kelce emerged from the fog with his signature bow and arrow to enter the festive holiday crowd, and fans predictably roared in joy – perhaps for the last time – as No. 87 took the field.
“You only get a few of them [occasions] Where you get to stand up and applaud [60,000]70,000 Chiefs fans cheering for you,” Kelce said. “I always cherish that moment.”
In a suite upstairs, his fiancée, pop star Taylor Swift, watched him perform. So did Mahomes and Minshew, who attended the game together from a suite. Mahomes suffered torn knee ligaments two weeks ago; Minshew did the same last week.
“You feel the joy and love of generations [the fans] It is,” Kelce said. “It’s a beautiful thing, man. I know it’s something I’ll always remember, whether it’s coming out of the tunnel or just making a big play for them. That’s why we love Arrowhead.”
Kelce has played 97 matches inside the stadium during his 13-year career. He has caught 645 passes at Arrowhead, including the playoffs, which is the third most passes by any player in a single facility (behind jerry rice And larry fitzgerald) since the AFL–NFL merger.
Now, the question is will Kelce play in the Chiefs’ season finale next week las vegas raiders,
He needs just 10 yards to reach 13,000 in his career, and he can extend his franchise record – and the record for longest active streak in the NFL – by catching a pass in his 191st game next weekend. They can go out with a win instead of losing five in a row and seven of their last eight games, which is where the Chiefs now find themselves.
Or maybe Kelce will surprise everyone and come back for another campaign.
“We’ve been through a lot together,” Chiefs take defensive stance chris jones Said while making his wish clear. “Just one more [season]Just one more,”
