The Kansas City Chiefs’ season-opening victory over the Denver Broncos came with a controversial moment that even Travis Kelce now admits could have gone the other way. Patrick Mahomes scored the first touchdown of the game on a 15-yard rushing play, but Kelce appeared to hold Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga as he tried to make a play on the quarterback.
The officials did not throw a flag, allowing Mahomes’ touchdown to stand and giving Kansas City an early lead in a game the Chiefs eventually won 31-10. The play immediately generated debate, with the broadcast crew questioning whether Kelce had gotten away with an offensive holding penalty.
Days later, Kelce addressed the controversial moment on the New Heights podcast and acknowledged that the officials could have called him for holding. Rather than dismissing the criticism, the Chiefs tight end admitted that he knew the play was dangerously close to drawing a flag.
Did referees made a wrong call in Chiefs vs Broncos?
Travis Kelce described the play as a moment when a player immediately knows he may have crossed the line. He explained that he got up slowly after the play because he was hoping the officials had not seen the contact with Talanoa Hufanga. “It was definitely a questionable play. That’s one of those where you get up slowly like please don’t be any laundry on the field.”
Kelce went even further by acknowledging that the correct decision could have been a holding penalty. With Hufanga attempting to close in on Mahomes near the goal line, Kelce’s block prevented the Broncos safety from getting a clean opportunity to stop the quarterback. The officials ultimately allowed the touchdown to stand, but Kelce admitted that Kansas City was taking a significant risk on the play.
“You can’t do it. Almost cost us and, to be honest, that would have been Patrick Mahomes’ second rushing touchdown called back in two plays. That would have taken us out of the red zone. That was risky business right there.”
Chiefs avoided a costly penalty on Mahomes’ return
The timing made the non-call even more important because Patrick Mahomes had already seen a rushing touchdown wiped out earlier in the drive because of an offensive holding penalty. A second holding call would have erased another potential score and pushed Kansas City back, completely changing the situation inside the red zone.
Instead, Mahomes reached the end zone and the Chiefs took control early in the game. The quarterback’s touchdown was especially significant because it came in his first regular-season game since suffering his major knee injury in December 2025, making his return to the field immediately memorable.
