Opposing NFL coach inquired about a Travis Kelce play in Chiefs’ win Monday

Late in the first half of the Chiefs game Monday, tight end Travis Kelce delivered a message to his teammates.

The Chiefs were leading 10-7 with 3 minutes, 30 seconds before halftime and faced a third-and-22 play from the Saints 43-yard line.

“I actually went into the huddle like, ‘Hey boys, let’s just make sure we get into field goal range here,’” Kelce recalled on the latest episode of the New Height podcast. “I remember saying that in the huddle, and then Pat (Mahomes) literally said, ‘Yeah, listen, you are that, you’re the underneath guy.’”

The pass was thrown to Kelce, who then made a highlight-reel play when he lateraled it to teammate Samaje Perine for a 21-yard gain.

Kelce was asked on the podcast what is going through his head when he laterals the ball.

“It all happens so fast,” Kelce said. “I kind of black out, which I’m sure coach (Andy) Reid is gonna love hearing.”

Jason Kelce, Travis’ brother and podcast co-host asked that question.

“I had no idea that he had a chip (block), anything, on the backside,” Kelce said of Perine. “I was reversing field. I felt guys overpursuing. And I was like, more yards going this way. And then, I realized I couldn’t get more yards going that way. ... It’s like, fast-break basketball.”

After Monday’s game, Kelce declined to talk with reporters but did offer that he could neither confirm nor deny that the play was by design.

But on the podcast, Kelce said the Chiefs work on laterals in practice, but that wasn’t in the playbook.

An opposing NFL coach had inquired about that very question about the lateal play.

Jason Kelce said: “Nick Sirianni actually called me this morning asking me if it was as a designed play.”

“Dude, if you watch it from the full-22 (video view) there’s no way (it’s a designed play),” Travis Kelce said.

“It’s the chip and on top of that, the lateral across field. I’m not banking on that as a coach that everything is going to go right to where somebody could run across field and then throw it. But we do practice it.”

Kelce also noted that former teammate Tyrann Mathieu had him lined up on a tee.

“My guy, Honey Badger, Tyrann Mathieu could have absolutely smoked me on that play. You’ll see me. I like, brace myself,” Kelce said with a laugh.

Nick Siriani

Jason Kelce