Andy Reid on Travis Kelce's Penalties and Knee Injury: 'Travis Was Fighting Travis'

Travis Kelce had an emotional day in his return to the field against the Jaguars. Andy Reid explained what he saw from the future Hall of Famer.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce returned to the field in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars after missing Kansas City's first game due to a hyperextended knee and bone bruise, suffered during the Chiefs' final practice of Week 1. Kelce caught four passes for 26 yards and a touchdown in Jacksonville, but some football-adjacent penalties and his continuing injury recovery brought another element to his comeback.

In a game where Chiefs penalties played a significant role, Kelce was flagged for extracurricular activities twice, earning one flag for unsportsmanlike conduct and another for unnecessary roughness. Kelce was not flagged for punting the football into the stands after scoring his first touchdown of 2023.

On Monday, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was asked about Kelce's day and what he made of Kelce's demeanor on Sunday.

"Travis was fighting Travis," Reid began. "It was hot, he was getting ‘butched,’ we call it, where they try to bang you up there one way or another, and he’s trying to get back into the flow and he is a perfectionist, this guy, and if he feels he’s off a tick, then he’s going to try to battle through and get himself in the right mindset to keep fighting through it. And he did. Listen, you have to give him credit, he battled through the thing, he made some big catches for us, and he made it through the game after missing the first one. I’m sure his leg didn’t feel 100%, but he’s not going to let you know that, he’s going to work through it and that’s what he did.”

Sep 17, 2023; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) celebrates a touchdown against Jacksonville Jaguars during the third quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-USA TODAY Sports

After the game, Kelce was asked about general frustrations with the Chiefs' offense being less productive than usual, but not specifically about his penalties. He was asked about his knee and, as Reid noted on Monday, Kelce had no interest in using it as an excuse.

"I'm not going to say it was an issue at all," Kelce said. "Everything that you saw out there was 100% what I could give."

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