Travis Kelce is doing some reflecting this week.
As the Kansas City Chiefs enter their bye in Week 10, Kelce is not only looking back at the team's most recent loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 9, a game in which they were outclassed at every level, but he's also taking stock of the entire season. That's likely true of every Chiefs player at this unexpected stage of the season.
On the one hand, the Chiefs entered the 2025 season with a sour taste in their mouths after getting steamrolled in their most recent Super Bowl appearance against the Philadelphia Eagles. On the other hand, the Chiefs were making a historic three-peat bid, which would have been the proverbial cherry on top of dynastic run.
To realize, then, that Kansas City is on the outside looking in of the current playoff picture is quite shocking. At 5-4, the Chiefs are in third place in the AFC West, a division they've won in each of the last nine seasons, two games behind the Denver Broncos and one game behind the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chiefs tight end opened up on his podcast about the struggles in the first half of the season.
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On the most recent episode of Kelce's uber-popular podcast [_New Heights_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pkQdjOwiDo), the Chiefs tight end sat down with his co-host brother, Jason Kelce, to talk about several subjects—including the NFL's trade deadline—and the recent loss to Buffalo. Kelce discussed his thoughts on the team's status with brutal honesty.
"I’ve taken a step back and looked at the whole scheme of things, and it’s frustrating. I mean, 5-4, a little over .500 right now, out of the playoffs if the playoffs started right now. We gotta get this s—t going, man. The schedule doesn’t get much easier. Our next three opponents are absolutely on fire, two of which are the Broncos we have coming up after the bye and the Colts after that. So we gotta get things rolling," said Kelce.
Kelce knows there are reasons why the team underperformed against the Bills, but he's also unwilling to make excuses. "We got banged up on the offensive line and this and that, but at the same time, we got the players that we need. Even if it’s the next man up mentality, we still got the guys to get the job done."
While it's easy to be down on the Chiefs, especially after failing to make a move before the trade deadline to bolster their roster weaknesses, Kelce also remains a firm believer in the players and coaches who fill out the organization. Despite a tough stretch of the schedule ahead of them following the bye, Kelce believes they still control their own destiny—and that's a good thing.
"I feel good about it because I know the characters that we have in the room. I know the guys that we have there, and we’re going to come back recharged and ready to rock and roll," said Kelce.
Kelce and company will find out soon enough. A battle for life in the AFC West is just around the corner after a week away.