Nail-biting games and allegations of favoritism were the main topics of conversation as Jason and Travis Kelce rolled out the latest edition of their ‘New Heights’ podcast.
Both NFL games involving the Kelces went down to the wire and were decided by one point. And both also had their fair share of controversy – whether it was on a game-changing call by the officials or a questionable play call by the coaches.
On the podcast, the Kelce brothers weighed in on the NFL weekend and addressed social media criticism that referees are biased in favor of Travis’ two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs and that ESPN seemed to be playing favorites as newly retired Jason returned to Philadelphia.
Travis Kelce on Chiefs’ win: ‘Did we get lucky? Yeah’
Kansas City’s dramatic 26-25 victory Sunday over the Cincinnati Bengals was decided by Harrison Butker’s field goal as time expired.
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
But the Chiefs wouldn’t have been in position for the game-winner if not for a critical pass interference call on Bengals defensive back Daijahn Anthony on 4th and long with just 48 seconds to play. That gave the Chiefs a first down and spurred a new round of opposing fans blaming referees for helping Kansas City win.
‘Nobody likes a fourth down conversion that is essentially given to the Chiefs, but the reality is, what do you want the official to do?’ Jason asked. ‘When it’s close, I get not calling it. This wasn’t close.’
Five plays and two timeouts later, Butker nailed a 51-yarder for the win.
‘Did we get lucky? Yeah we got fortunate that they threw the flag on that 4th and 16,’ Travis admitted, but he also pointed out that both teams had opportunities to make plays long before that call.
‘At the end of the day, you can’t put it in the ref’s hands that late in the game. If you’re gonna put it in the ref’s hands, you’re playing with fire.’
Jason Kelce’s return to Philly
In the final game of Week 2, Jason Kelce returned to the city where he spent 13 seasons as an anchor on the Philadelphia Eagles offensive line.
After retiring this offseason, he joined ESPN’s ‘Monday Night Countdown’ crew, and the network was happy to chronicle all the fun he had.
‘It was (expletive) awesome,’ Jason gushed about his chance to tailgate with Eagles fans and reunite with former teammates Nick Foles and Fletcher Cox before the game.
When Travis teased him about his dance moves, saying he had to have been drunk, Jason countered that he was, in fact, ‘stone-cold sober.’ Partly because he still had broadcasting work to do.
In addition to his pregame analysis, Jason also made it up to the ‘Monday Night Football’ broadcast booth to help break down the play he helped make famous in Philly: The short-yardage ‘Tush Push.’
Taking advantage of Kelce’s intimate knowledge of his former team took some of the attention away from the visiting Atlanta Falcons, something Jason admitted was due to his role in the storyline.
‘I really wanted to offer unbiased opinions for the Falcons,’ he said, ‘… but this was really cool to be back in Philadelphia. This is probably the one chance I got to solidify my retirement as a player.’
That game also came down to the final seconds after the Eagles – leading by three points – failed to convert a crucial third down inside the Falcons’ 5-yard line when a wide open Saquon Barkley dropped an easy pass from quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Jason refused to second-guess the Eagles’ play call, even with the Falcons out of timeouts.
‘That’s only going to be thrown if it’s wide open, which it was,’ he said. ‘It was the perfect play call. The percentage chance that a wide-open pass to Saquon Barkley is getting dropped like that, I just think that’s got to be pretty low.’
But the resulting field goal gave Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins a chance to drive him team down the field for the go-ahead touchdown with 34 seconds left.
‘Kirk Cousins,’ Travis said, ‘showed everybody why Atlanta paid him $180 million.’
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.