Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has a long highlight reel, so picking the favorite plays of his career probably takes some time.
However, on the latest episode of he and his brother Jason Kelce's podcast "New Heights," Travis broke down one of the most memorable plays of his future hall of fame career - a touchdown pass. It occurred during a 2021 AFC wild-card home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Chiefs routed the Steelers in that contest 42-21. Kelce was in his usual top-notch playoff form, catching five passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. In the fourth quarter when Kansas City was in firm control of the game and clearly heading for victory, coach Andy Reid decided to have a little fun.
With first-and-goal to go from the three-yard line, the Chiefs' offense initially lined up in a traditional shotgun formation but quickly shifted to a wildcat formation with Kelce as the quarterback. The Chiefs have lined up like that numerous times over Kelce's career, with him usually running the ball up the middle.
This time, however, the call was for Kelce to throw the ball. With quarterback Patrick Mahomes swinging out as a decoy, Kelce faked a handoff to former Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill and threw the ball into the endzone to another former Chiefs receiver, Byron Pringle, for a three-yard touchdown pass.
The Steelers' defense sold out to defending the run, not thinking that Kelce would throw it. Jason mentioned that it is tough for defenses to adjust to wildcat formations because the quarterback has to be accounted for as a runner, which takes away an extra defender against the pass.
The sudden change to a wildcat formation also creates chaos for the defense to communicate and adjust quickly before the ball is snapped. Jason also pointed out how a Steelers' defensive back got caught between having to decide to play Travis as a runner or guard Mahomes out in the flat.
Travis refers to all the pre-snap motion as "window dressing," which is something Reid has been famous for as a play designer throughout his career. Travis also mentions that he could have hit Mahomes out in the flat, who was wide open, and that he did while trying out the play during practice earlier in the week.
This was not the first time Kelce has attempted to throw the ball in his career, but he hasn't had much success outside of this particular play. He has thrown four other passes, with just one completion and an interception. Kelce ended the segment by saying perhaps he'll throw another pass someday, and while he was joking while saying it, you never know with coach Reid at the helm.
