Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce had a rocky start to the 2025 NFL season. He injured wide receiver Xavier Worthy in a route-running mishap in Week 1, failed to secure easy catches, and had some balls tipped for interceptions.
Fortunately, Kelce has gotten much better in recent weeks, and he's proving that he's still got plenty left in the tank. Nevertheless, the Chiefs are still 5-4 after nine weeks, and that's pretty much uncharted territory for the dynasty. He's raised his standard of play in a way the rest of the team hasn't matched. And for someone who would probably be retired if not for his desire to win another Super Bowl, that is clearly starting to weigh on him.
Kelce Airs Out Chiefs Frustrations Again
On his latest "New Heights" podcast, Kelce went in-depth on his frustration around the Chiefs' struggles. "I can't say that I'm not frustrated more from the entire start of the season than just this Bills game. There's games that I don't think we had any business losing," he started. He didn't call out anyone in particular, but his comments seem to suggest some culture or effort concerns, addressing things like needing to "get back to playing passionate Chiefs football." He also shot down any excuses about playing on short weeks.
Of course, his comments weren't all negative, even though those are the ones likely to make headlines. He had some optimism heading into the bye week.
"I feel good about it because I know the characters we have in the room. I know the guys we have and we're gonna come back, recharge, and ready to rock and roll."
Through nine games, Kelce is up to 41 receptions on 53 targets for 540 yards and three touchdowns. He has four drops. Those numbers aren't half bad, especially given that he's no longer required or even expected to be the primary source of offense. Then again, the Chiefs need to do better as a team.
This isn't the first time that Kelce's emotions have boiled over. He's been spotted going at it on the sidelines with head coach Andy Reid and also gave struggling RT Jawaan Taylor a piece of his mind during a penalty-riddled performance. He's a vocal leader, and he's not used to losing this many games.
The Frustrations Carry Real Merit
While the season-opening loss to the Chargers might be attributed to being shorthanded and all of their losses have been one-score games, those were the type of games the Chiefs used to thrive in. Losing two games in the final possession (Eagles and Jaguars) is uncharted territory for this team, and Kelce, who's usually the first to take the blame when he doesn't play to his standards, is right to be worried about the team's execution.
This team has all the resources they need to get hot in the second half of the season, and no situation should feel challenging enough for a team that has dominated the league like few teams in the past. Still, turning things around will require better attention to detail and taking care of the little things, especially down the stretch.
They've played better than they did last season, at least on offense, but at the end of the day, the only number that matters is the one that reads below the W in the win-loss column. Kelce knows he's inching closer to the end of his career, and he will continue to hold everybody on the team to the same sky-high standards he holds himself to.