Travis Kelce's Blunt Admission Makes Missed Call vs. Broncos Look Even Worse

The Kansas City Chiefs got away with at least one blatant penalty that the refs missed on Monday Night Football.

The Denver Broncos received the ball first, and on third down, Bo Nix threw an interception to rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane, giving Kansas City the ball on the Denver 46-yard line. A few plays later, Patrick Mahomes rushed for a five-yard touchdown. But the score was immediately called back due to a holding penalty on rookie left tackle Khalil Benson.

On the very next play, Mahomes did the exact same thing, scrambling toward paydirt from 15 yards out; Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga was in position to tackle the Chiefs' quarterback short of the goal line, but he was obviously held by tight end Travis Kelce. That illegal hold on Hufanga allowed Mahomes to dive into the end zone for a Kansas City touchdown.

Travis Kelce gets away with a hold on this touchdown run from Mahomes.

Rules analyst claims this is a tough one for the refs to see that's why they didn't call it pic.twitter.com/srv0qMMxwH
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) September 15, 2026

The ESPN broadcasting tandem of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman highlighted Kelce's foul, but the refs on the field were blind to it. After all, in what football universe would an NFL officiating crew call back consecutive Mahomes touchdown runs?

Kelce's Admission

It didn't happen on Monday night because we all know it would never happen. However, Kelce knew he got away with one, admitting to the "questionable" nature of that play in a conversation with his brother, Jason Kelce, on their New Heights YouTube show.

“It was definitely a questionable play," Travis Kelce said with a smile while his brother guffawed out loud. "That’s one of those where you get up slowly like, 'Please don’t be any laundry on the field.' Had the man up by his neck. Can't do it. Almost cost us. And to be honest, that would have been Pat Mahomes's second rushing touchdown called back in two plays because he literally did the same thing... And that would have taken us out of the red zone."

If the refs had thrown the flag, the Chiefs would have been backed up even further, facing a 2nd-and-goal from the 25-yard line. The likelihood of that possession ending with a touchdown would have decreased dramatically.

Travis Kelce and Bo Nix meet at midfield. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Instead, the play stood unquestioned, and the extra point not only gave Mahomes a touchdown on the opening possession of his first game back after his multi-ligament knee injury, but it also gave the Chiefs momentum and the early 7-0 lead.

Nix was able to bounce back, leading an impressive 68-yard drive that culminated in a 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Evan Engram, but instead of taking a 7-3 lead, the Broncos only tied the game. It was literally all downhill from there for Denver.

The Broncos played poorly on both sides of the ball and were penalized seven times. Meanwhile, the Chiefs were also flagged for seven penalties, but Kelce's hold wasn't the only one the officials ignored or missed in the game, as Benson held Broncos rush linebacker Nik Bonitto on almost every pass-rushing snap.

The truth is, outside of that one bad missed call, even the refs couldn't have gotten in the way of the Broncos shooting themselves in the foot that night. It was a game that head coach Sean Payton will try to forget as soon as possible.

The Takeaway

To the legions of Broncos fans physically sickened by the outcome of that game, though, Kelce's freeby stands as the latest illustration of the favoritism and endless benefit of the doubt that Mahomes and the Chiefs get on a week-in, week-out basis.

All the Broncos can do is put the Chiefs loss behind them, and put in the work to bounce back in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. At least this game will be played at Empower Field at Mile High, though that didn't save the Broncos from a 34-20 Week 16 loss to the Jaguars last year.

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