Travis Kelce Has a Lot of Thoughts About That Almost-Winning Lateral Play
Between a Super Bowl win and a burgeoning romance with a certain pop star, Travis Kelce has been on a winning streak this year—and even though the Chiefs ended up losing Sunday night's game against the Buffalo Bills, the tight end is getting lauded for a brilliant play—despite it not actually paying off.
In the latest episode of the New Heights podcast, which he hosts with his brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, Trav revealed that his lateral throw to wide receiver Kadarius Toney was not planned at all, but rather something that he "whipped out" "on the spot."
"Dude, it was such a 'bang, bang,'" he said. "Like, I caught it, turned upfield, saw the single high safety, knew I had broke the contain angle of the guy chasing me. When I made the safety that was coming down to try and tackle, when I broke his angle, I knew it was two on one. He's the only guy on that side of the field, I know KT was over there from the route he ran, and saw him out of the corner of my eye in a lateral position, in a position where I knew if I could get him the ball, I knew he had space to score a touchdown."
Kelce went on to joke that he "didn't talk to Coach Reid" after the play, fully aware he could have got chewed out for his maverick behavior. And even though the lateral throw ended up not counting, with Toney being called for an offside penalty, he stands by his decision—and is proud of his teammate Toney.
"I went up to KT today... I was like, man, we had that place fucking rocking... We're just gonna have to do it again, big dog," he said. "I love KT, if we get the opportunity again I'm gonna throw that shit right into his chest again. He's one of the best players we got with the ball in his hands, you turn on the film, you watch what he does... Everybody hating on KT right now, you can fucking miss me with it. I'm trusting in 19 every time he's out there on the field."
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was demonstrably irate over the lost game, has also praised Kelce's improvisational skills. "That's just a great player making a great play in a big-time moment," he said. "Just to have the knowledge of your surroundings to know that guy is open across the field, getting the football to him, trying to make a play for the team. It truly was a really cool play. It's a shame it didn't count, but it shows the type of player that he is."
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