Travis Kelce called out for apparent punch, dirty block against the Vikings

Kelce appeared to throw a punch at Vikings safety Josh Metellus on the play Kelce was injured.

Author:
Joe Nelson
Publish date:
Oct 9, 2023 11:16 AM EDT

Travis Kelce may be the prince of football since he's dating the queen of music Taylor Swift, but there were a couple of moments in Sunday's Vikings-Chiefs game where Kelce's behavior was far from royal.

After Kelce injured his ankle slipping on the turf at US Bank Stadium, the star tight end appeared to deliver a punch to the gut of Vikings safety Josh Metellus, which came to the attention of Vikings analyst and former NFL player Ron Johnson.

It wasn't much of a punch since Metellus didn't really react, but Kelce definitely wound up his right arm and swung after Metellus attempted to punch the ball loose with Kelce on the ground.

The other play comes with fewer questions, because Kelce was flagged for an illegal crackback block on Vikings edge rusher Danielle Hunter.

An illegal crackback block is a 15-yard penalty for blocking a defensive player below the waist within five yards of the line of scrimmage. The rule has been in place since 2012 and was implemented to prevent serious lower-body injuries to defenseless players.

That's precisely what Kelce did against Hunter, hitting him below the waist on a running play to Isaiah Pecheco. Hunter escaped without injury, fortunately.