SI

Mics Caught Travis Kelce’s Classy Message to Bo Nix in Possibly Last Chiefs Home Game

Kristen Wong

Chiefs star Travis Kelce shared a classy moment with Broncos quarterback Bo Nix after their Christmas Day matchup. Denver ended up beating Kansas City, 20-13.
Chiefs star Travis Kelce shared a classy moment with Broncos quarterback Bo Nix after their Christmas Day matchup. Denver ended up beating Kansas City, 20-13. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images
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Losing is not a feeling that Travis Kelce, a three-time Super Bowl champion, knows all too well. Yet even in defeat, the Chiefs star still manages to set the bar high.

Kelce saw his team fall 20–13 to the Broncos on Christmas Day in a game that meant little to the Chiefs, who are out of playoff contention and patiently waiting for Patrick Mahomes to recover from his ACL tear. Kelce has nonetheless vowed to give it his all in the Chiefs' remaining games this season (their Week 18 finale is against the Raiders) before making his highly anticipated decision on his NFL retirement.

In Week 17's loss to Denver, Kelce finished with five catches for 36 yards to cap off what might have been his last ever game at Arrowhead. After the final whistle, as photographers and media members swarmed him on the field, Kelce made sure to find Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and give him an inspirational message:

"You're a hell of a competitor, man. You already know," Kelce told Nix. "Love playing against you every single time, dog. Do your thing baby, alright? Go get you one, man."

Nothing but class from Kelce.

While Kelce's behavior would suggest there's no bad blood between the Chiefs and Broncos this year, another player might beg to differ. Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper posted a series of now-deleted tweets trolling the Chiefs after the Broncos clinched the AFC West for the first time since 2015.

Cooper wrote, "F--- the Chiefs," and posted another tweet that seemed to take a shot at Mahomes and Co.: "B---- made a-- pansies."

The Chiefs were swept by the Broncos in 2025, yet recent history favors the team in red much more—the Chiefs were crowned division champs nine straight times up until this year, not to mention their three Super Bowl wins and seven AFC title game appearances in the Mahomes era.

But in a fateful season filled with miscues, costly drops and sheer bad luck, the Chiefs' near-decade of dominance came to a cruel end this winter, and the AFC might be as open as it's ever been. Nix and the Broncos (13-3) currently sit in the driver's seat as the No. 1 seed and control their own destiny; if they beat the Chargers in Week 18's season finale, they will get a bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Broncos' top competitors are the Patriots (13-3) and Jaguars (12-4), but thanks to their AFC West title, Denver is assured at least the No. 3 seed this postseason.

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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