‘An uphill battle all f***ing day’: Travis Kelce on Super Bowl LIX loss to Eagles

It's no secret the Eagles completely dominated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. In every single aspect of the game, the Eagles completely dismantled the two-time reigning champions. The line of scrimmage, pass game, run game, you name it, the Chiefs had no answer. The Eagles led 24-0 at halftime and were up 40-6 not even halfway through the fourth quarter. It could've ended up as the most lopsided Super Bowl ever if Nick Sirianni didn't pull his starters, which allowed the Chiefs to put up some garbage time points. 

Still, the 18-point margin was the second-largest in a Super Bowl since 2014. The Eagles completely embarrassed the Chiefs with 127 million people watching on televsion. There's no disputing that, even to Chiefs players like Travis Kelce. The tight end discussed the Super Bowl defeat with Taylor Lewan and Will Compton on the "Bussin' with the Boys" podcast. 

"Even when we got the right call, it was like we were just a step off or a timing off," Kelce said of the Super Bowl. "Pat was under duress, and we just had to try and figure things out on the run. It was an uphill battle all fucking day."

The Chiefs were favored in the matchup — albeit by just one point — and looked like they flat out didn't belong. Since Patrick Mahomes has been their quarterback, NFL fans have become accustomed to the Chiefs always finding a way to win. In New Orleans, Mahomes never got off the mark and played one of the worst games of his career. 

He was sacked six times, threw two interceptions and never built his usual connection with Kelce. The tight end caught four passes for 39 yards, but never had much of an impact on the game.

"I don't know if that ever like came in my mind. It was always just keep fucking fighting and see what happens. But at the same time, it got ugly quick," Kelce said. "When they yanked their DBs out, or their big guys on defense, I was just like 'Fuck man' I know what that sign is. I mean at that point you're still in the mode of fight, fight, just give your guys, your coaches everything you got. And it was just wasn't going our way."

The NFL released the Mic'd-Up special of the Super Bowl, which showed Kelce and other Chiefs players still holding out hope at the beginning of the second half. Safety Justin Reid reminded defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo that the New England Patriots were down 28-3 against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. The Chiefs have pulled off a lot of jaw-dropping comebacks with Mahomes, but the Eagles were having none of it. 

"I mean I'll give credit man, from the D-line to the linebackers to defensive backs everywhere on that football field, they had guys flying around," Kelce said. "I don't know if they had a tick on what was going on, or if they just had the rules set in place, but it felt in the run game and pass game they just had stuff figured out."

Kelce talked about refocusing in the offseason and how he's motivated for the upcoming season. With Kelce having one more year on his contract with the Chiefs, there's been plenty of speculation about his future. 

He's given no word on whether he'll keep playing beyond next year, but if one thing's for sure: he has the matchup with the Eagles at GEHA Field at Arrowhead on Sept. 14 circled on his calendar. 

"We got them week two, somewhere early I think. So yeah, we'll get this thing fucking rocking and rolling boys," Kelce said.