Travis Kelce shares candid thoughts on Chiefs' first loss: 'It was a pretty frustrating game'

The Kansas City Chiefs suffered their first loss of the season against the Seattle Seahawks on "Sunday Night Football." The Chiefs got blown out by the defending Super Bowl champions, 20-3. 

Now, tight end Travis Kelce shared his thoughts on the team's first loss of the 2026 NFL regular season on the most recent episode of the "New Heights" podcast.

Accountability over excuses: Travis Kelce's message after Seattle loss

"Another frustrating performance for the offense," Kelce shared. "Obviously didn't even get a chance to get into the red zone. It felt like they were playing prevent [defense] the entire time and just let the front four cause havoc in the run game, and get Pat out of the pocket." 

Kelce continued, "Hats off to them [Seattle]. They came ready to play. Sunday night up in Seattle, that place was rocking. The twelves were loud, and it was a pretty frustrating game from the jump." 

Kelce admitted his pre-snap penalty was a drive-changing mistake, noting that he failed to get set after the running back aligned near the line with Mahomes. The error stalled a strong opening series, and he said his priority is evaluating his own role in the play and finding ways to improve.

"I say this because that's what I see out of myself on film ... I can only speak on what I can do better," Kelce said. "And I'll only tell my side of the story in terms of what I need to be doing to get better."

The future Hall of Fame tight end isn't pointing fingers at teammates, coaches or officiating. Instead, he's relying on the film as the ultimate truth and evaluating his own performance based on what he sees. By repeatedly emphasizing "what I can do better," Kelce is taking ownership rather than deflecting blame.

The commentary also reflects a veteran player's mindset. Kelce understands that public explanations can easily become excuses. Rather than discussing what others may have done wrong, he's limiting his comments to the areas he can control.

ESPN analyst Jason Kelce, Travis' big brother, also offered his perspective, crediting Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald for maximizing a talented defensive roster. "Mike Macdonald knows what he's doing, and they've got great players over there," Kelce said, pointing to contributors like Leonard Williams and Nick Emmanwori as key pieces in Seattle's success.