Chiefs News: Travis Kelce warns CJ Stroud's Texans, rest of the NFL ahead of Super Bowl push

A quest for yet another trip to the Super Bowl starts on Saturday for the Kansas City Chiefs, who will take on C.J. Stroud’s Houston Texans in the Divisional Round of the 2025 NFL playoffs. Unsurprisingly, Travis Kelce is very optimistic about his team’s chances of going the distance for a third consecutive year.

During an appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show” on Monday, the 35-year-old made it clear that he’s seen a lot of growth on the Chiefs, warning the Texans and the rest of the NFL that Kansas City may have what it takes to win the championship again.

“We’re finding different and more ways to win early on and throughout the season. I think last year, we dealt with finding ways to lose,” Kelce said. “You can learn from both, but learning from the games you win is a whole lot more fun. I think we have a lot of confidence in this team, and a lot of guys are willing to go that extra mile, man.”

Kelce, Chiefs ready for 2025 NFL playoffs after overcoming adversity

Kelce has a fair point, as the Chiefs managed to clinch their ninth consecutive AFC West title as well as the No. 1 seed in the AFC in a challenging year. The 2024 NFL season was full of bumps on the road for the two-time Super Bowl defending champs, who dealt with multiple injuries while facing multiple contenders before the postseason.

Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs heads to the locker room after defeating the Los Angeles Chargers 17-10 at SoFi Stadium on September 29, 2024 in Inglewood, California.

Even Kelce was put to the test this year, with many questioning his contribution to the team after a slow start to the campaign in terms of stats. However, the tight end eventually got back to his usual numbers, helping the Chiefs earn a bye to the Divisional Round.

see also

NFL News: Andy Reid makes something clear on Matt Nagy, Steve Spagnuolo and Chiefs assistants

Kelce can’t wait to prove Chiefs’ doubters wrong

Despite their 15-2 record, the Chiefs still have doubters around the NFL, including former head coach and current ESPN analyst Rex Ryan. Kelce, however, is confident that his team will prove them wrong.

“We’ve definitely heard all the chatter, and guys like Rex Ryan, saying this team can’t win in the playoffs, and he’s seen it before, and we hear everything, but at the same time, we know what’s real, and what’s in this building,” said Kelce. “That’s guys who want to be accountable for the one next to him and are going to keep finding ways to be accountable week in and week out.”

The first test to Kelce and the Chiefs’ three-peat aspirations will be on Saturday, when the Texans come to town with a ticket to the AFC Championship Game on the line. Last time out, Stroud and company claimed a commanding win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Houston. Arrowhead, however, is expected to be a tougher environment for DeMeco Ryans’ team.