Kansas City Chiefs: Travis Kelce admits losing to Bengals wasn't most painful loss of his career
The Kansas City Chiefs appeared to be poised for a return to the Super Bowl in 2022. Kansas City had a home matchup in the AFC Championship game against a Cincinnati Bengals team they were favored to beat. The Chiefs then had a 21-3 lead with less than five minutes left in the second quarter. […]
The Kansas City Chiefs appeared to be poised for a return to the Super Bowl in 2022.
Kansas City had a home matchup in the AFC Championship game against a Cincinnati Bengals team they were favored to beat. The Chiefs then had a 21-3 lead with less than five minutes left in the second quarter.
KC fans were already looking for hotels in the Los Angeles area for Super Bowl LVI at that point.
And then the collapse happened. The Bengals came out in the second half with a great defensive plan. Cincinnati disrupted the flow of Patrick Mahomes, leading to an ineffective second half for the superstar quarterback.
A trip to the Super Bowl quickly turned into the end of the season for the Chiefs. It was a painful loss for the players on the field and the fans that packed Arrowhead Stadium on a crisp January afternoon.
For Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, however, it wasn't the most painful loss of his career.
That distinction goes to Kansas City's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV.
“Getting there and losing it the way we did, that’s gonna sting for the rest of my life,” said Kelce on Friday (via Pro Football Talk).
The Chiefs lost to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers 31-9. It was certainly a tough end to a season where Kansas City went 14-2 while dominating the AFC.
It's clear the Chiefs have plenty of motivation entering the 2022 season. Whether it's the loss to the Bucs in Super Bowl LV, or blowing an 18 point lead to the Bengals in this year's AFC Championship game, there's a lot of pain in that locker room that will serve to motivate Kansas City's entire roster in 2022.
Featured image via Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
