Did Travis Kelce flop vs Patriots? Dissecting Chiefs TE's viral end-zone fumble

Kansas City Chiefs v New England Patriots
Dissecting Chiefs TE Travis Kelce's viral end-zone flop vs Patriots

Travis Kelce was part of the Chiefs team that won against the Patriots on Sunday to snap their two-game losing streak. It was not noteworthy because of the result, though. Kansas City are top of the AFC West, whereas New England have already been eliminated from playoff contention, so a victory for Patrick Mahomes and company was to be expected.

What was more surprising was that Travis Kelce, normally one of the most combative and competitive players on the field, took a dive in the end zone that would have put an actor to shame. Perhaps he is picking up habits hanging out with Taylor Swift and her friends from the entertainment world.

Travis Kelce was clearly looking for a pass interference call but that never came. NFL referees have rightly been criticized this season for some bad calls but they got this one right. He even got open in the endzone but the pass did not arrive to him on time from his quarterback. Instead of seeking to extend the play, as he often does, and finding space with separation from the defender, he went down at the lightest touch in the hopes that the Chiefs will benefit from that.

The whole thing was made even more cringeworthy with the broadcast panning to Taylor Swift. The singer, who is dating the Chiefs tight end, looked angry at the officials for not calling a foul on him. Here is a complete replay of that incident.

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Travis Kelce has previously dealt with potential pass intereference calls in a different manner

One could question why Travis Kelce took such a flop in the endzone in trying to get a pass intereference called on the defense. But as one of the best tight ends of this generation, and also in the all-time conversation, he has been at the receiving end of some close attention from opposition defenders. There have been times when the team they were playing against have roughed him up and it has not been called.

With that in mind, perhaps Travis Kelce thought that it would be better to take a dive instead of continuing to play. It might be that he was afraid that after the initial contact if he tried to get away, he would be interefered with and the referees will not spot the foul and, therefore, it was better to bring it to their attention with his acting.

While that might seem far-fetched, those who have watched the NFL for some time will remember back in 2016 when he was ejected from a game. Playing against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he felt that he had been interefered with in the endzone and it was a potential horse collar grab. But the umpire in the endzone called it an incomplete pass.

No amount of verbal jostling got him his way. Instead, he was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. He was so incensed by it that he threw his towel back at the referee to mimic throwing his own flag and got promptly ejected for such behavior.

And therein lies the rub. If the referees are unable to call out plays as they happen, which is something we have seen often this season, then players will come to believe that simulation is the best way to draw the officials' attention. A similar phenomenon is already prevalent in soccer, where attackers dive in the opposition box at the slightest contact hoping that they will get a penalty kick.

It is something one hopes never comes into the NFL. Travis Kelce and the players are responsible for maintaining those standards with their own conduct. But so are the referees in ensuring that they do not miss obvious fouls.

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Edited by Rit Nanda
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