The Denver Broncos didn't play well against the Kansas City Chiefs, and the refs didn't exactly do their jobs, either.
The Denver Broncos had a rough game in Kansas City on Monday night, but the zebras didn’t help. Kansas City Chiefs tight end got away with a crucial holding on the Chiefs’ first touchdown drive, as Kelce played rodeo by holding safety Talanoa Hufanga at the goal line during a 15-yard touchdown scramble from quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Kelce copped to getting away with a big one on Monday night, as he wrapped up a Denver Broncos defender at the goal line to help out quarterback Patrick Mahomes on his 15-yard jaunt to the end zone for the Kansas City Chiefs' first touchdown.
Kelce made his confession on the New Heights podcast, which is a familiar source of football fodder from him during the season as he presents family entertainment with brothe Jason, who was a lineman with the Philadelphia Eagles.
“It was definitely a questionable play,” Kelce said in a report from Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “That’s one of those where you get up slowly like, ‘Please don’t be any laundry on the field.’ I had the man up by his neck Can’t do it. Can’t do it. Almost cost us.”
Indeed. It seemed obvious that Kelce wasn’t expecting Mahomes to take off, as he got caugth flat-footed at the goal line. Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga became aware that Mahomes was running before Kelce did, and it appeared Hufanga was in position to make a play on the quarterback.
Not so much, as it turned out. Kelce executed his move flawlessly, wrapping his arm around Hufanga’s chest and neck, then hanging on for his quarterback’s dear life. Mahomes dove between two defenders and made it to the end zone, and it sure looked like he would have taken a serious shot if he’d missed.
“That would’ve been Patrick Mahomes’ second rushing touchdown called back in two plays, it was the same thing,” Kelce added as he . “That would’ve taken us out of the red zone. That was risky business. You know what? Sometimes you’re just living right.”
The official version of “living right” was that none of the officials on the field had a good view of the play, and offensive holding isn’t a reviewable play. The previous play he mentioned was a holding call against left tackle Kahlil Benson that did indeed cost the Chiefs a touchdown.
But Kelce certainly made up for his near-mistake later in the day, as be broke free on a short throw from Mahomes to post a 60-yard gain that nearly went for a touchdown. Coach Andy Reid later joked that it was a pretty good play for an old man, but he definitely got away with a hold on that early pivotal play.
The Broncos will burn the tape from the game, but before that they undoubtedly sent a copy to the league office pointing out the error. Sometimes it only takes one big play to change course of a game, and that might have been it for Denver on Sunday.
