Fans Loved Travis Kelce's Fake for Trick Play During Historic Completion

Kelce attempted to lateral the ball on his 1,000th career reception.
Kelce attempted to lateral the ball on his 1,000th career reception. / Via Netflix

Travis Kelce is still keeping opposing defenses on their toes.

During the Kansas City Chiefs' Christmas Day game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kelce once again looked to lateral the ball to a teammate. This time, it came on a historic catch for the star tight end.

In the third quarter with the Chiefs leading 16-10 and facing second-and-6 from Pittsburgh's 43-yard line, Patrick Mahomes dropped back and found Kelce over the middle of the field. That's when things got interesting. Kelce secured the ball, then pump-faked a lateral to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, before turning up field for a 19-yard gain.

Everyone immediately reacted to it.

That reception wasn't just a key 19-yard gain, it was also the 1,000th of Kelce's career, adding to his Hall of Fame credentials. The Chiefs finished the drive with a touchdown and failed two-point conversion to take a 22-10 lead.

On the next possession, they scored again, and Kelce made more history. He capped it with a 12-yard touchdown catch, the 77th of his career, making him the Chiefs' all-time leader in touchdown receptions, passing Tony Gonzalez.

The Chiefs are on the verge of improving to 15-1, with a 29-10 lead in the fourth quarter.


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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.