Derwin James and Travis Kelce (Photo via Los Angeles Chargers)
Cameras caught a priceless interaction between Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James in their ‘Sunday Night Football’ clash in Week 14.
Derwin James has frequently matched up with Travis Kelce since entering the NFL as a rookie. The All-Pro safety has given Kelce his fair share of fits, but the Chiefs have dominated this rivalry with seven straight victories.
On Wednesday, the Chargers’ X/Twitter account shared a montage of a mic’d up James from the thrilling ‘SNF’ clash. It included several conversations with Kelce, including one part where James complained to an official about the tight end pushing him off.
The best part about this? Kelce acknowledges that he pushed off James while crediting the star safety for knowing his routes:
Travis Kelce finished the night with five receptions for 45 yards.
The defensive slugfest culminated with Matthew Wright (starting in place of an injured Harrison Butker) kicking the game-winning field goal off the left upright and in, giving KC a 19-17 victory.
Not only did Sunday mark a seventh straight win over the Bolts, but the Chiefs also secured a ninth straight AFC West division crown.
With the Buffalo Bills falling to the Los Angeles Rams, the Chiefs (12-1) are now two games up for the conference’s top seed and first-round bye.
Travis Kelce Is Struggling This Season, But Chiefs Keep Winning
The 35-year-old Kelce is having a disappointing year statistically, with just 80 receptions for 682 yards and two touchdowns. He’s on pace to finish with his worst statistical season since becoming a full-time starter in 2014.
But there’s hardly any reason to be worried if you’re a Chiefs fan, because the team just keeps finding ways to win.
One can say that they’re due for some regression after squeaking out so many tight wins, but it’s awfully hard to bet against a team with four AFC Championship banners and three Super Bowl titles since 2019.