Chiefs must send firm message to Travis Kelce or pay the price

Super Bowl hangovers are natural, especially for the losing team. It should come as no surprise that Kansas City, a team that has played late into the postseason for seven straight years (conference championship or better), came out of the gate slow. While the Chiefs wouldn't trade those postseason runs for the world considering it's what all 32 teams compete for, they do lead to a quicker offseason and thus less time off. The Chiefs are playing like it's their preseason, when in fact the games count. They'll wake up one of these days from their preseason slumber.

But don't tell the Chiefs that. This team is keenly aware to their historical standing as the NFL's most recent dynasty. They also, again, lost Super Bowl LIX to the Philadelphia Eagles, and thus are out for redemption. A 1-2 start won't help them in that challenge, nor will Travis Kelce's sideline exchanges with Andy Reid.

Kelce and Reid are hyper-competitive, and Big Red is the type of coach who can handle challenges from his star players when the situation calls for it. However, counting this past week, Kelce and Reid have feuded in two of the past three games, and even on the game's greatest stage at the Super Bowl in 2024. Enough is enough.

History of Andy Reid and Travis Kelce's Chiefs drama

While Reid and Kelce insist everything is fine, the only reason they have to suggest as much in the first place is because the dynastic duo is at each other's throat so often. While it's natural for a player of Kelce's caliber to get heated from time to time, or a coach like Reid to demand perfection, it's rare for such blowups to be this visible, this often.

In that moment, Reid looked unprepared for Kelce's frustration, and he nearly fell down as a result. On Sunday, that wasn't the case, as Reid took initiative and bumped Kelce.

"I love Travis' passion, man," said Reid. "I'm OK with that. We didn't have enough of it in the second quarter. It wasn't where we needed it to be, so, within reason, he knows when to back off the pedal and knows when to push it too. That's the part I love about him. The guy is all-in. Sometimes, I have to be the policeman. He's an emotional guy."

While Reid insisted the media shouldn't make much of the matter, this is the second straight week he's had to address Kelce's actions. In a loss to the Eagles in Week 2, Kelce slammed his helmet down right in front of Reid in a threatening motion.

Travis Kelce isn't acting or playing like a future Hall of Famer

Kelce has earned the right to make mistakes every now and then. He is a surefire Hall of Famer, after all, and even in what is likely one of his final years, among the Chiefs best downfield threats. Without Rashee Rice for the first eight games of the season, Kansas City needs all the help it can get. So far this season, Kelce has struggled to do just that: he has just 134 receiving yards on 10 receptions, good for 12th among tight ends.

Whatever isn't working with the Chiefs, it has little to with the Reid, or his relationship with his players. However, as Kansas City progresses into a new era of its dynasty without Kelce – a day which is drawing ever-closer each week – they can ill-afford to set a bad example for their young players.

Mahomes, who is friends with Kelce on and off the field, went on the record claiming that his confrontation with Reid is what he 'loves' about Kelce as a player. It's understandable why Mahomes would go to bat for his top target, but we're one exchange away from Kelce's actions becoming commonplace on the Chiefs sideline.