NEED TO KNOW
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Travis Kelce blamed himself for penalties during the Chiefs’ 28-24 loss to the Broncos
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The defeat dropped Kansas City behind Denver in the AFC West standings
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Kelce said the 5-2 Chiefs need to improve before facing the New York Jets on Sunday, Nov. 8
Travis Kelce is criticizing his performance after the Chiefs’ troublesome loss to the Broncos on Sunday, Nov. 1.
Reflecting on the game — which went from the Chiefs handily holding a lead over Denver to a stunning 28-24 loss — the tight end, 37, called his play “inexcusable.”
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“Obviously, wish we would have finished it better. Penalties will kill you in this league, and, right now, we are we are killing ourselves in that regard. I’m at the forefront,” Travis told his brother, Jason Kelce, on the Wednesday, Nov. 4 episode of New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce.
“I think it’s my third week in a row I’ve had a f—ing procedural penalty that’s halted the drive,” he continued. “We’re going backwards instead of going forwards. And I’m like, I’ve been doing this too long to be hurting my team like that. And, I mean, it’s just inexcusable.”
Travis Kelce during the Chiefs’ loss to the Broncos on Nov. 1, 2026
Credit: AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post
Beyond penalties — something Brittany Mahomes, the wife of his quarterback Patrick Mahomes, trashed the referees over with calls against the Chiefs — Travis noted the team failed to take advantage of opportunities as they marched down the field.
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“We still gotta execute in the run game,” the tight end said. “We had a bunch of chances down there in the red zone at the end to be able to punch it in, and just didn’t execute.”
The loss was especially painful for the Chiefs because it was against a division rival, Travis added, which knocked them down in the AFC West standings.
“It’s just unfortunate that it happened to a team like the Broncos, who are now, I believe, ahead of us in the standings for the division, and we just gotta make sure that we gear back up. You know?” he told his retired NFL player brother.
Despite the latest loss, Travis still has a ton of hope for him and the 5-2 Chiefs.
“We can’t let this get us down,” he said. “We gotta keep fighting, keep figuring out ways to win ball games, and just know that, we got everything we need right here in the building to get that done.”
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The three-time Super Bowl champ, who decided against retirement this season, had similar critiques of himself immediately after Sunday’s game. Travis told reporters that he was “frustrated” with his play and that the entire team needed to improve in the coming week.
“The little things, the mistakes, and it starts with the person that you’re looking at in the mirror,” he said. “I’m one of them. I’ve been frustrated with myself on how long I’ve been in the league and the procedural stuff that’s happened for the past three games really. Really since the bye, and it’s frustrating.”
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“You just can’t f—ing do it. Excuse my language,” Travis added. “I gotta be better for my teammates and that sets the tone for a lot of people in this room. Everybody’s just gotta up the ante from that. I think we showed some fight, a lot of fight, and I can take that out of this.”
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The Chiefs will look to get back in the win column on Sunday against the New York Jets, who hold a 2-6 record in the AFC East.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
