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Travis Kelce isn't shying away from criticism about his performance on the field. It's still early in the NFL season, but the 34-year-old quarterback has been catching some heat about how he's been playing, with a former ESPN analyst making headlines this week after calling him out of shape.
The Kansas City Chiefs have become a media frenzy since Kelce began dating Taylor Swift in September 2023, and his relationship has been at the center. During the Kansas City Chiefs game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night, Kelce looked sad while on the sidelines, quickly becoming a viral moment.
While the Chiefs won 22-17, Travis still faced criticism, and his stats are being compared. As noted by Sports Illustrated, over the first three games of the season, he has caught only eight passes for a total of 69 yards, a relatively low output compared to his usual performance. Plus, in the previous season, Kelce had a "down year" where he didn't achieve over 1,000 receiving yards—something he has consistently done for nearly 10 years.
On Wednesday’s episode of his “New Heights“ podcast, Travis admitted the team wasn't playing their best. “We’re finding ways to win games, but we’re not playing our best football,” he told his brother Jason Kelce.
But Travis isn't going to take all the heat, “Everybody can clean it up," he said, admitting, "I think everyone saw my drop in the fourth quarter with that crucial third down.” He also reflected on what he could do differently saying he was trying to do too much before putting the ball away.
He did add that defense isn't doing him any favors. “I think with how defenses are playing us right now, I’m not really getting a lot of opportunities to make plays down the field, but not using that as an excuse,” he said promising, “Moving forward, [I’m] still trying to make sure that I can help the team out in that regard.”
Former ESPN analyst blasts Travis
Travis' reflection comes after former ESPN analyst Todd McShay blasted him and his off-season saying, "Are we not allowed to say that he’s out of shape?” "That he’s been partying all offseason? He’s been jet-setting around with the most famous person probably in the entire world, that he’s drinking, going to the U.S. Open," McShay continued.
As the season continues, it will be interesting to see what plays out. Many NFL and Kansas City Chiefs fans have been against Swift's presence during the season, and if Travis keeps missing their mark they will continue to let their feelings known on social media and at the games.