Chiefs' Travis Kelce makes big admission about viral moment on Patrick Mahomes touchdown

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes seemed to answer some big questions about the state of his surgically repaired knee when he finished Kansas City's first offensive drive of this past Monday's game against the rival Denver Broncos by rushing for a 15-yard touchdown. 

However, fans watching the contest at home quickly noticed that Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce seemed to be guilty of a clear hold on Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga near the goal line that should have taken the touchdown off the scoreboard. 

On the latest edition of his "New Heights" podcast, Kelce addressed that controversial moment. 

Travis Kelce knows he "almost cost" the Chiefs

"It was definitely a questionable play," Kelce admitted, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "That’s one of those where you get up slowly like, 'Please don’t be any laundry on the field.' I had the man up by his neck. Can’t do it. Can’t do it. Almost cost us."

Interestingly, the Chiefs had a Mahomes rushing touchdown scrapped because of an offensive holding penalty on the previous play. While the final score may lead one to believe the non-call on the touchdown that counted isn't all that big of a deal, one can only guess what would have happened had Kansas City had to settle for a field-goal attempt when the game was still scoreless. For what it's worth, the Broncos produced their only touchdown drive of the evening immediately after the Mahomes touchdown. 

Travis Kelce was "living right" in Week 1 win

"That would’ve been Patrick Mahomes’ second rushing touchdown called back in two plays," Kelce continued. "It was the same thing. That would’ve taken us out of the red zone. That was risky business. You know what? Sometimes you’re just living right." 

Understandably, Kelce and his teammates were extra protective of Mahomes on Monday, as the three-time Super Bowl MVP was making his in-game return from the torn ACL and torn LCL he suffered on Dec. 14, 2025. As for Kelce, he truly was "living right" throughout the Chiefs' 31-10 win, as he finished the evening with a game-high 71 receiving yards that he recorded on three catches. 

The 1-0 Chiefs will next host the 0-1 Indianapolis Colts for a Week 2 "Sunday Night Football" matchup. As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Kansas City as a 6.5-point home favorite for that game.