KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Travis Kelce spiked his helmet, cursed and screamed Sunday with the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense stuck in neutral during the first half of a 20-17 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles in a rematch of last season’s Super Bowl.
No matter what Kelce is doing, the future Hall of Fame tight end’s emotions bubble toward the surface. He’s usually a happy-go-lucky sort, but the frustration sometimes is every bit as evident as the mischievousness.
“When you're winning and there's success, it's easy to have energy,” kicker Harrison Butker said. “I think the challenge is, when we're not doing well, to make sure we bring energy every single play and obviously every single game.”
Kelce, who had four catches for a team-best 61 yards, brings energy snap after snap, for better or worse, and he’s tried to cajole Kansas City’s offense, which managed only 294 total yards against Philadelphia, to life.
“He's been a big leader for us, trying to get guys to be energized and going,” Butker said. “We need energy. Whether we're doing well or doing poorly, energy can only help, and that's something that he was preaching throughout the game and on the sidelines.”
Andy Reid said his team failed to match the Los Angeles Chargers’ energy during the first half in a season-opening loss in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
It wasn’t expected to be a problem for the Chiefs to gear up for another crack at the Eagles, who dominated Super Bowl LIX in preventing the NFL’s first three-peat, but the offense again sputtered from the gate and never really found a rhythm as Kansas City dropped its first two games of the season for the first time since 2014.
“I think it’s a little frustrated,” defensive tackle Chris Jones said of the mood in the locker room. “We’re all very competitive and we all want to win, but we are 0-2. A lot of players holding themselves accountable … so we’re eager to figure this thing out and get back on the right track.”
It’s uncharted territory for the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs.
“We played two good football teams and made mistakes in big moments, stuff that we're not used to doing,” he said.
That includes a crushing interception at the goal line when Mahomes’ dart on a quick-slant ricocheted off Kelce’s hands and into Philadelphia safety Andrew Mukuba’s.
Instead of retaking the lead, Kansas City fell behind by two scores after Philadelphia scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive. The Chiefs never got a chance to go in front again, but Mahomes said there’s no reason to overreact to the sluggish 0-2 start.
“Obviously, this isn't how we wanted to start, but how are we going to respond?” Mahomes said. “I'm excited for the next few weeks to see who wants to be challenged and how we can get back and really get after it.”
The Chiefs’ defense did a better job answering the bell. The coverage voids from the Chargers game were shored up with better communication despite a pass rush that remains blitz-dependent to generate pressure.
Jalen Hurts only threw for 101 yards, while Kansas City’s run defense bottled up Saquon Barkley, limiting him to 22 carries for 88 yards.
It stood in stark contrast to the offense.
“The energy was great,” defensive tackle Chris Jones said. “We were feeding off each other and I think we kept it up and maintained that level of energy throughout the game.”
Most weeks, the Chiefs’ defensive performance would be good enough to win.
“It hurts,” cornerback Trent McDuffie said. “This is going to sting, which it should. This is a passionate group and we want to play at our best. The end goal is always to win, so whenever we don’t get that job done it stings. But since I’ve been here, it’s always been a mindset of ‘we need to get better as a group.’”
The struggles are magnified because it’s so early in the season and Kansas City has been to five of the last six Super Bowls, winning three of them.
“This is a moment for us to come together as a team,” Jones said. “A little adversity is tough, but adversity builds character.”
The track record suggests the Chiefs will be fine. Up next is the winless New York Giants on Sunday Night Football, a game that will air on KSHB 41 News.
“Obviously, we’ve never been 0-2, but we've had times where we've dealt with challenges before and lost games,” Mahomes said. “I think the guys that we have in this locker room will go back to work with that mindset of we're gonna continue to work even harder, so that when we step on that field next time we can find a way to win in those big moments like we haven’t in these first two weeks.”
In other words, it’s not time to panic.
“Not at all,” wide receiver Hollywood Brown, who had a team-high five catches for 30 yards, said. “We know what we’ve got with this group. We’ll just come in here and go to work.”
Don’t be surprised when Kelce’s still leading that charge, too.
“That’s him — he’s that way every week if you keep an eye on him,” Reid said. “He’s all in all the time, and that’s the way he was today.”
Kelce did not make himself available for interviews after the game.
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