Travis Kelce Had Honest Explanation for the Scared Face He Made While Being Tackled

Travis Kelce took a bunch of big hits on this one play vs. the Lions.
Travis Kelce took a bunch of big hits on this one play vs. the Lions. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Chiefs were able to get back to .500 with their impressive win over the Lions at Arrowhead last Sunday night and are now starting to look more and more like the team that has dominated the AFC in recent years.

Travis Kelce had a solid game in the win, catching six passes for 78 yards. One of his most memorable plays came on his first reception of the night when he was swarmed by a number of Lions defenders and then got pushed forward when some of his big offensive linemen helped move the pile at the end of the play.

Jason Kelce loved that moment for his younger brother and on this week's episode of New Heights he had one question for Travis about it—what was with the face he made while he was wrapped up by almost half of Detroit's defense?

"Take a look at this photo where you’re being helped up by like five different Detroit Lions," Jason Kelce said. "Did you look at your face in this? There’s an age to this face right there in the middle."

It took a number of Lions defenders to bring down Travis Kelce on this play.
It took a number of Lions defenders to bring down Travis Kelce on this play. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Travis Kelce then explained what was going on through his mind.

"You know what this is, this was the first catch of the game," he said. "I get hit by one guy and I kind of slide off of him. And now I’m just like, I’m getting pinballed but I’m keeping the feet moving and then I get held up. And then once I get held up the stampede is coming. I think I locked eyes with [offensive tackle] Trey Smith about to come in and clean the pile and I was just like ‘hit me, m-----------!’ 

Here's that conversation:

Kelce now has 28 catches for 321 yards and two touchdowns on the season. While he may be 36 and this could be the final year of his career, it's clear that he can still be a very good option for Patrick Mahomes.

The 3-3 Chiefs will look to keep a winning streak going this week when they host the Raiders at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.


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Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.