Chiefs Player Awaiting NFL Punishment Decision Over Incident Involving Travis Kelce

Story by

Paolo Songco

Sun, Nov 23, 2025 ·

2 min read

Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs pulled off a big win on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts . The Chiefs entered the game in dire need of a victory after suffering back-to-back losses in their last two games. It was a tough test for Kansas City , which needed an extra period to settle the score, but what matters most is that it escaped with a crucial 23-20 overtime victory over Indianapolis.

Kelce finished the game with four catches for 43 yards. It was a relatively quiet outing for the four-time All-Pro tight end, who had a touchdown waived off during a controversial moment in the game.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) during an NFL game.Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
(Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images)

Kelce, who entered Sunday’s game with 50 receptions for 631 yards and four touchdowns, should have added to his scoring tally late in the first quarter. The 10-time Pro Bowler recently set the all-time touchdown record in Chiefs franchise history , and he should have registered another one on Sunday had it not been for a controversial sequence in the first half.

With 14 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Kelce took a direct snap to score a four-yard TD. However, Chiefs offensive lineman Jawaan Taylor was flagged for a face mask penalty on the play, thereby negating Kelce’s touchdown.

The officials called off Kelce’s touchdown and gave the Chiefs a 15-yard penalty. Ultimately, Kansas City had to settle for a 28-yard field goal on the drive, which cut down Indianapolis’ lead to 7-3. Chiefs fans were not at all pleased with the called-off touchdown, but it stood nonetheless.

Taylor could now be in trouble with the NFL. He was flagged for a facemask penalty against Colts defensive lineman Kwity Paye , although the video replays seem inconclusive. Either way, the league will review this incident and could potentially decide to penalize Taylor with a hefty fine.

For context, there were three facemask penalty fines from Week 11. The most substantial of which was a $11,160 fine on Del’Shawn Philips of the Los Angeles Chargers . Taylor will need to wait for the NFL’s decision, which is announced in the weekly gameday accountability report every Saturday.

The good news for Kelce and Co. is that, despite that controversial and potentially game-changing moment, they still came out on top. They overcame a 20-9 deficit in the fourth quarter to secure their first win in three games.

Kansas City improved to 6-5 after Sunday’s big win. It’s a short turnaround for them as they return to action on Thursday for a Thanksgiving matchup against the Dallas Cowboys .

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Nov 23, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.