The Kansas City Chiefs suffered their first loss of the 2024 NFL season in Week 11 against the Buffalo Bills. 

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce recapped the loss with his brother Jason Kelce on the latest episode of "The New Heights Show" podcast. They dove right into the undefeated talk and motivations driving the team.

They also discussed the historically bad performance by the future Hall of Fame tight end, with Travis catching just two passes on four targets for eight yards in Week 11. To put it into perspective: Of 169 career regular season games, Kelce has been held under ten yards receiving just six times. He's more likely to have a game over 130 receiving yards than he is to have one under ten. 

"You don't think about, 'Oh, I really want to win this game so I can remain undefeated.' No, we want to win this game because we have a lot of really close football games against the Buffalo Bills, and we love (expletive) competing against them because they're one of the best teams in the league," Travis said. "Like, I get fired up playing against the best teams in the National Football League. And I was fired up for this one, and I didn't play my best. And that shit, that shit (expletive) pisses me off, and it made me, you know, go right back into work on Monday after the game and get after it and find a way to make shit right."

Kelce knows that his individual performance wasn't good enough for this one. It's why he was back in the building on Monday with the signature fire and passion he's become known for in Kansas City.

Travis Kelce and the Chiefs are already back in the lab after the Week 11 loss to Buffalo

The team got to work on Monday, reviewing the film in an attempt to learn from it.  They aim to put the loss behind them and quickly move on to the Carolina Panthers in Week 12. Travis told Jason that he's confident this won't be the start of a slump, even with the brutally honest admission that the team got outplayed at every juncture of the game.

 There's a strong belief in the building that they can get things fixed and play better. That all starts with playing better and with a greater sense of urgency throughout the full four quarters of the game.

"I think this is something you won't see out of us in the future," Travis explained. "I think we're very confident that we'll get the things fixed. We have all the talent that we need to go and win another Super Bowl. I've been on Super Bowl-winning teams. We have enough talent to (expletive) make a run at this thing. And I think everybody knows that. All we've got to do is just be our be at our best, and that's what we were not for four quarters. I mean, there wasn't a single quarter that it was like, 'Oh yeah, we outplayed them. We got them on that.' No, they had a little bit more idea of what we were doing, and they were fundamentally more sound in a lot of different areas."

Travis knows he can set an example to help right the ship after the loss. It starts with his preparation and eagerness to learn, but it also takes a return to fundamentals during practice.

"I put that on myself to be more fun to harp on the fundamentals throughout practice," Travis continued. "Make sure I'm getting out there and I'm running around, I'm not just going through the plays. Make sure I'm focused. Make sure I get the timing down with the quarterback, so that we're on time for Pat (Mahomes), and Pat can be confident in throwing the football where it needs to go. You know, a lot of this shit is just— it's very fixable. And I've got all the faith in the world and this team. And I obviously, I just focus on on the offensive side, but I got all the faith in the world and Spags and that defense to get it right as well."

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce is eager for another crack at Buffalo

No. 87 stopped short of calling the loss in Buffalo a "wake-up call." However, he knows there needs to be a little self-evaluation, introspection, and a whole lot of effort when they hit the practice fields on Wednesday.

"I don't give a (expletive) how your body's feeling," Travis quipped. "I don't give a (expletive) where your mentality is off the field when you step into that building. We are here to figure shit out, and we are here to get better as football players for the football team. I think that is a mentality going forward that everybody has to be a part of top down. And I think myself included, I've got to be the leader that I've been in the past and hold myself accountable so that everybody sees how it's done. Knowing that we got a lot of new faces and a lot of rookies and whatnot." 

Only time will tell if Kansas City gets another shot at Buffalo, but Travis is eager for the opportunity if it does arise in the postseason. He gave Josh Allen & Co. their flowers for the Week 11 win, but they won't be caught lacking next time. He wholeheartedly believes that should they meet again in the playoffs, the Chiefs will have all the ammunition they need to take down the Bills when it matters most.

"Sometimes you just need that smack in the face," Travis said. "It is what it is. Sometimes you need a smack in the face to be able to lock in and know that it's an 'Any Given Sunday' type of league. And (I'm) not saying that (Bills) team was just any other team, but I do believe we have better players, and if we get another shot at that team, I definitely get excited about it."

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