Travis Kelce's laterals highlight Chiefs TE’s mischievous, magical playmaking ability

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The 73,528 fans on hand Thursday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium gasped then roared with glee — the lateral was back.

After being listed as questionable with a sprained ankle, the Kansas City Chiefs' mischievous All-Pro tight end, Travis Kelce, wasted no time showing that he was healthy — and still rascally — with a cheeky lateral to fellow tight end Noah Gray on his first touch during a 19-8 win against the Denver Broncos.

After two Isiah Pacheco runs to open the game, Patrick Mahomes found his favorite target, Kelce, over the middle.

Kelce turned outside toward the Chiefs sideline after the catch, drew three defenders like a point guard running the fast break then pitched the ball back to Gray for an extra seven yards.

It wasn’t the first time Kelce had taken such liberties after a catch.

Four years ago in a win at Detroit, a Kelce-to-LeSean McCoy lateral nearly netted an all-time electrifying touchdown.

Kelce also tried it during last year’s AFC Championship Game, though that one resulted in a fumble Jerick McKinnon had to fall on.

“He does it in practice and everybody thinks we’re just kind of joking around, but I know that he’s just seeing what he can get away with for the game,” Mahomes said.

And so it was, on the third play of the game on a night when the Chiefs handed their once-bitter-AFC-West-rival-turned-perennial-punching-bag a 16th consecutive head-to-head loss, Kelce flashed more of the creativity that makes him one of the most unique and indomitable offensive players in the league.

But is it Coach Andy Reid approved?

“That’s something we do every day in practice, so it didn’t surprise me that it took place,” Reid said. “But that was on his own.”

The connection and chemistry between Mahomes and Kelce, who had a season-high 124 yards on nine catches in the victory, has been dissected and marveled at plenty through the years.

But nowhere is the duo’s shared penchant for schoolyard, draw-it-up-in-the-dirt antics more obvious than when Mahomes breaks the pocket to Kelce’s firing laterals.

“We give so much freedom to Trav, I guess all of it is called but all of it isn’t called,” Mahomes said. “I know he’s definitely not supposed to pitch the ball; that’s the one I know for sure.”

Mahomes added, “That’s just Travis. But he knows if he pitches it, it better work, because if it doesn’t Coach Reid’s going to get on his tail.”

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