Travis Kelce
David Eulitt/Getty
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JANUARY 18: Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on after defeating the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Playoff at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 18, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
Last Friday night in Brazil, Los Angeles Chargers DT Teair Tart let his frustration with Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce be known in a swift way. Now, he’s going to pay for it. Literally.
During a play in the third quarter of the Chiefs and Chargers opening-week battle in São Paulo, Brazil, Kelce engaged Tart in a block that continued after the play had been blown dead. Kelce gave a little shove at the end which Tart did not appreciate, and the 315-pound defensive tackle responded with an open-handed slap to Kelce’s facemask. Per rules analyst Terry McAulay on the YouTube broadcast, Tart wasn’t ejected because it was an open-hand slap, not a closed-fist punch.
“I don’t understand that rule,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said after the game. “I guess it’s open-hand, fist, whatever, I don’t know. I don’t know what their decision was on that. But [Kelce] definitely got hit in the head pretty hard, whether it was an open fist or a closed fist.”
According to an ESPN report, Tart will be fined for slapping Kelce. We won’t get the official number until the NFL announces fines on Saturday afternoon, but the fine for a first striking offense is $12,172, according to NFL rules.
The Kansas City Chiefs Dropped a Tough Game to the Chargers — and the Schedule Doesn’t Get Any Easier
Teair Tart
Robert Gauthier/GettyInglewood, CA, Sunday, September 29, 2024 – Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) scrambles away from Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Teair Tart (90) in the first half at SoFi Stadium. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
I don’t know of many people who thought the Chargers would upend the Chiefs in São Paulo. This is a division that Kansas City has dominated throughout the Patrick Mahomes-era — even in their (relative) “down” years.
But they did, and now the Chiefs need to regroup quickly. With the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles up next — a team that destroyed the Chiefs in said Super Bowl — Kansas City could be staring an 0-2 start in the face if they can’t get a win.
In Week 3, they get a bit of a reprieve against the Giants. But then they face the Ravens, Lions, Commanders, Bills, Broncos, and Colts in six of their next eight games. It’s a brutal stretch of their schedule, and one they’ll need to be competitive in to stay on top of the AFC.
The Kansas City Chiefs Need Travis Kelce Now More Than Ever
The injury news for Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy isn’t good. After colliding with Kelce on a drag route in the first quarter of the game against the Chargers, Worthy suffered a dislocated shoulder and could need surgery, though for now he’ll try and play with a brace at some point later this season.
Between Worthy’s injury and the ongoing suspension to top WR Rashee Rice (who will be out through Week 6), it’s time for Kelce to step up and once again be the top option in the Kansas City passing game.
Kelce hasn’t had a 1,000-yard season since 2022, and his production has declined each of the last two seasons. If he can’t turn back the clock and dominate over the middle of the field like he used to, this Chiefs offense could struggle to generate consistent yards.