Arrowhead Report

Travis Kelce Sounds Off on Lack of Super Bowl Leadership

The Kansas City Chiefs fell short in Super Bowl LIX, something that tight end Travis Kelce still hangs his head about.
Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) walks off the field at the end of the first half of Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) walks off the field at the end of the first half of Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

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The Kansas City Chiefs and their fanbase were smiling ear to ear when they won the AFC Championship and punched their ticket to their third straight Super Bowl appearance. The smiling ended fairly quickly when the first whistle blew in the Super Bowl, as the Chiefs got beaten down by the Philadelphia Eagles.

While the score finished 40-22, it was never really that close. The Chiefs' offensive line had its struggles of protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and when Mahomes had receivers open, the ball landed in the hands of the opposition more times than not.

However, one of the biggest non-factors in the loss was tight end Travis Kelce. Kelce entered the Super Bowl coming off his worst regular season in terms of statistics, and his struggles carried over into the big game.

Kelce finished the regular season with 823 receiving yards and three touchdowns scored, both of which were career lows. In the Super Bowl, the Chiefs' tight end had four receptions in six targets for 39 receiving yards. It wasn't like Kelce was a non-factor throughout the entire playoffs, though.

When the Chiefs took on the Houston Texans, Kelce collected 117 receiving yards in seven receptions and scored one touchdown. However, once that game concluded, so did Kelce's impact for the remainder of the Chiefs' playoff run.

Recently joining the Bussin' With The Boys podcast, Kelce reflected on his role in the Super Bowl and the lack of leadership he felt he presented. In what could be his final season, Kelce seemed very disheartened that he wasn't able to be that leader for his teammates.

"I don't think I was the best leader during the Super Bowl itself," Kelce said. "In terms of making plays, being able to find a way no matter what defense they're playing, I've always put the accountability on myself to get open no matter what."

"Don't get me wrong, they (the Eagles) were doing things that minimized everything that I could manipulate. But at the same time, I still feel like I had a drop early, two or three routes where I didn't get separation when I needed to."

"Keeping the energy and belief alive, I don't know if I necessary did that as well as I could have."

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Dominic Minchella
DOMINIC MINCHELLA

Dominic Minchella holds a communications degree from Eastern Michigan University. He is a former MLB writer and serves as our Kansas City Chiefs On SI beat writer.