The Kansas City Chiefs edged the San Francisco 49ers, 25-22, in overtime to win Super Bowl 58 in a game filled with drama from start to finish. One of the most surprising moments came when Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce got in the face of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid in the second quarter.
The team's offense had been unable to get into any kind of rhythm when a frustrated Kelce was spotted yelling at and bumping into Reid.
On the post-Super Bowl episode of the “New Heights” podcast, Kelce and brother Jason spoke about the moment.
“As he said, I got him with a cheap shot,” Travis Kelce said. “People are all over this, and I mean — I get it.”
“You crossed a line,” Jason Kelce added. “I think we can both agree on that.”
“I can’t get that fired up to the point where I’m bumping coach and it’s getting him off balance and stuff,” Travis Kelce replied. “When he stumbled, I was just like, ‘Oh, s---,’ in my head.”
“Let’s be honest. The yelling in his face, too, is over the top. I think there’s better ways to handle this, retrospectively,” Jason Kelce said.
Later in the episode, Kelce said his actions were “definitely unacceptable.”
“I immediately wished I took it back. Coach Reid actually came right up to me after that and didn’t even have harsh words for me. I was ready to get a f------ ass-chewing and for him to just tell me to f------ be better. And he just let me know, ‘Hey man, I love your passion. I got cameras on me all over the place, man. You don’t want this to come off ...’”
As for Reid, he laughed off the moment in the postgame press conference.
“He caught me off balance. I wasn’t watching. (A) cheap shot. That’s all right,” he said.
“He was really coming over just to go, ‘Just put me in, I’ll score. I’ll score.’ You know, so that’s really what it was. But I love that. I mean, it’s not the first time, so, listen, I appreciate him.”
Reid also said he and Kelce share a connection that goes beyond the heated confrontation.
“Then he came over and gave me a hug and said, ‘Sorry about that,’” he told ESPN after the game. “But you know what? He just wants to be on the field and he wants to play. And, so, there’s nobody I get better than I get him. He’s a competitive kid. You know, he loves to play and he makes me feel young.”
Kelce was a non-factor in the game’s first half as the 49ers jumped out to a 10-3 halftime lead, with a defense that stifled the Chiefs.
He wound up getting involved in the passing game, though, finishing with a team-leading nine catches for 93 yards, helping to propel the team to victory and celebrating with girlfriend Taylor Swift, who raced to the game from her "Eras Tour" in Tokyo.
After the game, Kelce didn’t want to make too much of what happened with Reid.
“I’m going to keep it between us unless my mic’d up tells the world, but I was just telling him how much I love him,” Kelce joked with ESPN after the game.
While the exchange may have gotten heated, Kelce and Reid have enjoyed much success together. They have won three Super Bowls in the last five years and, with a win next season, could become part of the first team to ever win three consecutive Super Bowls.
Mahomes, who picked up his third Super Bowl MVP in the win, said the Reid-Kelce interaction underscored the Chiefs' commitment to winning.
“For real, though, that moment right there, that speaks to the team that we are. Everybody loves it. Everybody loves the game, wants to compete. And Coach Reid wants to compete,” he said.
“That’s just the type of mentality we’ve always had and that’s why we can win games like we won today,” he added.
Drew Weisholtz
Drew Weisholtz is a reporter for TODAY Digital, focusing on pop culture, nostalgia and trending stories. He has seen every episode of “Saved by the Bell” at least 50 times, longs to perfect the crane kick from “The Karate Kid” and performs stand-up comedy, while also cheering on the New York Yankees and New York Giants. A graduate of Rutgers University, he is the married father of two kids who believe he is ridiculous.
