The Chiefs beat the 49ers in overtime to win Super Bowl LVIII.
Early in Kansas City Chiefs’ eventual Super Bowl win, broadcast cameras captured tight end Travis Kelce bumping into coach Andy Reid while yelling after the Chiefs’ third offensive drive ended with a fumble by running back Isiah Pacheco.
But after the Chiefs went on to win 25-22 in overtime, Reid made light of the incident.
“He caught me off balance,” the coach joked. “I wasn’t watching. He was really coming over [and saying], ‘Just put me in, I’ll score. I’ll score.’ So, that’s really what it was. I love that. It’s not the first time. I appreciate him.”
Andy Reid joked that Travis Kelce hit him with a cheap shot, but then explained the TE said “Put me in! Just put me in and I’ll score,” and added “I appreciate that the guy wants to play.” pic.twitter.com/owN5iZOcqW
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Reid went on to say he loves Kelce’s passion, saying “it’s not a selfish thing.”
“As much as he bumps into me, I get after him and we understand that. He just caught me off balance.”
With both teams were scoreless after the first quarter, Kelce later said his reaction was an overflow of just wanting “the score to be different.”
“He’s one of the best leaders of men I’ve ever seen in my life,” Kelce said of Reid. “And he’s helped me a lot with that, with channeling that emotion, with channeling that passion. I owe my entire career to that guy and being able to kind of control how emotional I get and just love him.”
Travis Kelce looked less than enthused pic.twitter.com/yncKhjtNl4
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In that early drive, the Chiefs’ offense had finally come alive after a 52-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes to Mecole Hardman to place them at the 49ers’ 9-yard line. But two plays later, Kansas City’s offense was back on the sideline after Pacheco’s costly mistake.
The second-year running back lost a fumble for the first time in seven career playoff games, stopping momentum the Chiefs had generated.
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Mahomes placed his hands on his head in frustration, while Kelce — who was not in the game when Pacheco fumbled — blew up on Reid. Kelce bumped into Reid on the sideline and nearly knocked him over as Kelce presumably expressed his desire to remain in the game going forward.
A few minutes later, Kelce walked up and hugged Reid. Reid patted him on the back.
Kelce finished the game as the Chief’s leading receiver with 93 yards on nine receptions.
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(Photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
