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Travis Kelce Refuses to Accept Hard Truth About Chiefs Season
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- Travis Kelce Refuses to Accept Hard Truth About Chiefs Season
The Kansas City Chiefs (6-6) are outside of the NFL playoff picture coming into a critical "Sunday Night Football" game at home against the Houston Texans (7-5) in Week 14. Following their 31-28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, Kansas City sits two games behind the Buffalo Bills for the final wild-card spot in the AFC playoffs.
According to ESPN's Football Power Index , the Chiefs have a 40.7 percent chance to make the postseason. It is a reality that star tight end Travis Kelce , a three-time Super Bowl champion alongside quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid, has a hard time accepting.
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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce before a game against the Los Angeles Chargers.Amanda Perobelli/Reuters via Imagn Images
On Wednesday's episode of the "New Heights" podcast , the Chiefs tight end contended he feels his team is close to being the best in the league, despite their 6-6 record.
"I'm sure everybody is sick of us saying it, but we are a few plays away from being a No. 1 seed in my mind," Kelce said . "Maybe it's a bit extreme. All the losses are within one score. There's a handful of plays within those games that are determining the outcome, and it's hard."
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Kansas City has a 1-6 record in one-score games this season after going 11-0 in those games during the 2024 regular season. Kelce counts penalties, inefficiency in the red zone and his own mistakes — like a dropped pass in a Week 2 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles — as the small margins stopping the Chiefs from having a much better record.
"It's crazy that you watch the film and you see what's real," he continued. "You see that we are [expletive] this close."
It is hard to say Kelce has not done his part this season. The 36-year-old ranks as Mahomes' top pass catcher with 59 catches for 719 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
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The difference between expectations and reality for the defending AFC champions has been staggering this season. Being the No. 1 seed Kelce believes they can be is unrealistic at this point with five games left in the regular season.
Regardless, the Chiefs have a chance to significantly improve their playoff hopes if they can take down a fellow AFC postseason contender like the Texans on Sunday night. The game kicks off from Arrowhead Stadium at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
