Should Patriots Keep Eye On Wild Travis Kelce Play That Didn’t Count?

The New England Patriots obviously will be keen on slowing down the Patrick Mahomes-Travis Kelce tandem Sunday, but the Chiefs tight end last week highlighted what’s seemingly a favorite play of his.

Kansas City fell short against the Buffalo Bills in Week 14, and Kadarius Toney’s offensive offsides call, specifically the Chiefs’ reactions to it, became the story of the game. The penalty negated a Kelce lateral touchdown to Toney that would have sealed the game for Kansas City.

Kelce admitted this week on his “New Heights” podcast that it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. It’s not the first time the star tight end caught his teammate out of nowhere with a lateral, and it won’t be the last time.

“I went up to KT, man, and I told him, I was like, man, we had that place (expletive) rocking,” Kelce said. “I was like, hey, man, we’re just gonna have to do it again, big dog. I love KT. If we get the opportunity again, I’m gonna throw that (expletive) right into his chest again. He’s one of the best players we got with the ball in his hands. … Everybody hating on KT right now, you can (expletive) miss me with it. I’m trusting in 19 every time he’s out there on the field.”

Bill Belichick on Wednesday let everyone know he’s solely focused on Kansas City and not concerned about reports about his future in New England. It’s likely something that can’t perfectly be anticipated, but Kelce still is a dangerous enough playmaker that it wouldn’t be surprising if it was a scenario Belichick and his coaching staff want their players to look out for.

Despite the dip in production for Kelce, Patriots legend Rob Gronkowski still believes the star tight end can produce at a high level, and that likely will be the mindset Belichick and his staff will approach this Sunday’s matchup with as they anticipate anything happening when playing an Andy Reid-coached team.