Travis Kelce refuted claims that the Kansas City Chiefs rested their starters in the final game of the regular season to deny the Cincinnati Bengals a playoff berth.
After the Bengals won their final regular-season game against the Pittsburgh Steelers last Saturday, they needed the Denver Broncos to lose to the Chiefs and the New York Jets to win in order to beat the Miami Dolphins the next day. The Jets defeated the Dolphins, but a much weakened Chiefs team lost 38-0 to the Broncos, giving Denver the AFC’s final wild card spot.
The Bengals will be a tough challenge for any team in the postseason. They won their final five games of the regular season thanks to Joe Burrow, who led the league in passing touchdowns and receiving yards, and Ja’Marr Chase, who led the NFL in receiving yards, receptions and receiving touchdowns. The Chiefs also had to rely on a late pass interference call in a 26-25 win over the Bengals in September.
“I’m not afraid to have sex with anyone,” Kelsey said on the New Heights podcast, which she co-hosts with her brother Jason. “I wanted (the Bengals) to make the playoffs. I want to kill the dragons one by one like Mortal Kombat. I don’t want to be in a situation where we’re playing the lowest seed. Tell me who’s the best team. please.”
“AFC, NFC, give me all of them, Mortal Kombat style. I’ll look at all of them. I’m not afraid of a single soul, dude.”
After the Bengals’ win over the Steelers last week, Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor said the rest of the NFL’s teams “don’t want us in this tournament, I promise you.” The Chiefs have struggled against the Bengals in recent postseason games as well. Cincinnati advanced to the Super Bowl in 2022 after defeating the Chiefs in the AFC title game, and nearly repeated that feat the following season.
“We’re going to play (the Bengals) in a Walmart parking lot,” Kelce said on the podcast. “I don’t care. We can play our game in the offseason and really compete. Listen, I love competing against the greats. They were a really fun team to watch. It’s a shame they didn’t make the playoffs, because they would have made the playoffs even crazier and more fun.”
Kelce, 35, had a down year by his lofty standards, posting 823 total receiving yards, his lowest since his debut season in 2013. Still, he was selected to his 10th Pro Bowl.
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The Chiefs will receive a bye in the opening round of the playoffs this weekend after clinching the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
