“He’s a warrior!” Patrick Mahomes speaks emotionally on Travis Kelce’s toughness after Dolphins win

of the day, we won the football game and and we found a way to to to win and win by two touchdowns. And um obviously we didn’t play to our standard that we would we would hold for ourselves. Um especially in that middle part offensively of the game, kind of second quarter through third quarter. Um but I thought we we found we found a way to come together at the end of the game.

 We had two great drives at the beginning of the great game and now it’s about learning the in between. And so um it’ll be a learning experience for us um to know that we have to come with our agame every single time in order to win. Um, but at the end of the day, we’re three and0. >> So that to that point, it does really reinforce the week- toeek nature.

 Is that something you can impress on your teammates a little more like each week? >> 100%. I mean, but I mean, we’re young. We’re a young football team and so guys have to learn that and there will be learning experiences throughout the season. Luckily enough for us, we still won won the football game.

 Um, but I mean these guys like you have to just continue to press that is a long season. like just because we had a first two weeks good weeks against good uh really good opponents doesn’t mean that you can you can relax when you’re playing a 12 o’clock game, you know, and so um a lot of these guys first 12:00 game, first time traveling, um and having that experience in the NFL.

 Um and so for them, um learn how to get themselves ready to go faster so that we can go out there and play better football. >> At the end of at the end of the game, Patrick, on that touchdown drive, you got hit multiple times. Just is that another part of this where you want to just say, “Hey, like no matter what the situation is, you can still deliver the ball on time, still have accuracy when getting kicked.

” >> Yeah, for sure. I mean, and then that’s that’s just going to part of it is I have to continue to work the pocket and find places to throw. I thought even the ball to Rasheed. I slid it in the pocket and then I try to make the throw and I left it behind him and ended up getting bounced up for an interception.

 And so, um, that’s about me finding my feel for the pocket again, um, in some of those critical situations. Um, but, uh, we just got to get better as an offense. I mean, we we scored 24 points and we did all those things, but at the end of the day, we left a lot out there and uh we’re not going to be mad about getting mad about winning.

 We won the football game and I mean, you think about last season, we were losing some of these games and so um we’re not going to be mad about winning, but we’re going to look at the tape hard, find ways to get better uh for next week. >> How much that play action just changing the game for you? Because it seems like that’s when you find your rhythm, your success at least through these first game.

>> Yeah, for sure. I mean, it it’s it’s helping out a ton. I mean, it’s I think people look at the stats and they see like the touchdowns that Kenneth has and that EMTT when they’re running the ball and and the run game that we’re doing, but I don’t think they really understand how the play action and the movements and stuff like that has really opened up in our offense.

 And that’s a credit to them. That’s a credit to the offensive line, firing off the ball, run and pass. Um, and something we have to continue to get better at marrying as the year goes on. But I thought we did a great job with that today. Um, being better in the drop back passing game. Um, like I said with that ball to Rasheed was a was open throw I can make.

 Um, and some some other little things here and there. Um, but other than that, I thought we did a we did a great job. It’s just about finishing drives and not making those little mistakes. >> You got pretty hard in the end zone there when that guy fell right on top. >> No, he got me. He got me for sure pretty good.

 Um, but that’s part of playing football is they they they brought a good stunt with the Dline and um I try to get the ball in my hand. When you throw the ball, you’re kind of exposed and um he got he got me pretty pretty solid. But uh I was able to bounce back up there and uh we went out there and finished that drive. you talked about last year um and when you didn’t win the close game two weeks in a row.

 Um what what has changed? Is it the mindset or is it just you know >> Yeah, I think we’re just guys are just going out there and finishing, you know. I think that’s training camp. We had such a great training camp. It was like it wasn’t always pretty. Like we have, like I said, we have a lot of young guys and we’re all building chemistry together and it wasn’t always the prettiest, but guys pushed through and pushed through and I think that built that up um for games like this and um we didn’t it wasn’t always pretty on both

sides of the ball. I mean, there was times where um we were kind of getting we had that three and out after getting the flag coming out of half and I thought just defensively they they stood up whatever they needed to made big plays, stopped them on fourth down. Um but like I said, we had a lot of stuff to clean up, but uh I was proud of how our guys finished the game.

>> Patrick, you’re 3 and 0 all time at Hard Rock Stadium. Just and you won your first Super Bowl here. Could you talk about the nostalgia of coming back and winning today? >> Yeah. No, I mean I think just that when you get on the field, you kind of feel that. I mean, just looking around and seeing the stadium where you won your first Super Bowl and even out of the same hotel room.

 So, like just being going into the hotel and I’m like I’m texting some of the guys that were around because we had a full spend a full week here and it was like guys would come to your room and you and you kind of had that team bonding uh stuff going on and so um it it was cool to kind of be back here and to play at this game.

 Um but at the end of the day, you got to go out there and play and so it was good to get a win. >> The sequence at the end of the sequence at the end of the game um you got hit and then the touchdown to Travis took I just wonder like What was your emotions in those? >> Yeah, I think it was just kind of letting out the emotion of like this hasn’t been the way that we wanted it to be and um it was that frustration coming out in that sense, but u we were able to make the play, you know, like that that’s at the end of the day the most important thing and um letting out some

of that frustration there, but uh uh Travis making a play. I mean, he caught the first pass and the last pass. I mean, it was uh it was uh him battling through that as well and his making the play when his numbers called. You have does it feel like you’ve got more ways to beat teams right now? You mentioned the play action.

 You mentioned today some drop stuff. >> Yeah, I mean first of all I mean just the run game in general running the ball so well that defenses have to change how they play against us and um we have to continue to do that. Um is continue to run the ball and then play action off of that. Keep defenses honest um movements and then have the drop back.

 That’s what you want in a great offense and a great team is being able to beat you in many different ways. Um and and today we showed that with the defense making big timely stops and then us scoring when we needed to score. >> I see your feet. We’ll go to the back line. >> Hard not to notice happy for the win, but you almost feel disappointed in a way.

 Does that just come from the championship aspirations? >> Yeah, I wouldn’t say I feel disappointed. Like I I’m I’m happy for the win. I think last year kind of taught me that you can’t you can’t be disappointed when you when you win football games. You have to enjoy every single one of them. Enjoy the plane ride back, everything like that.

 Um but I know we can be better. I know we can get better and that’s going to take watching the tape and going out and having a better week of practice. Uh communicating within the entire offense and the entire team. Um we’re going to be happy. We’re going to enjoy this v this victory. Um but we know and if we want to get to where we want to go, we have to continue to get better and better. Um and so uh uh we’ll do that.

>> Patrick, several high schools down here in South Florida sponsor partnership. How important is it to give back to you especially here in South Florida? >> It’s probably the favorite thing I do. um in in general is with the the Gladiator logo and sponsoring these teams. Like high school football was so important to me and I still am best friends with some of the guys that were my receivers and and my running backs and stuff like that in high school.

 And so obviously it’s cool what I do at Texas Tech. I love that everything like that. But giving back to the youth like you said, letting them get that logo on their their jersey. I remember how important that was for me. You’d wear it to school on the on on Fridays and then get to go out there and play.

 Um and so there’s some great high schools down here. Um, and I’m excited for them to have that logo on their jersey and go out there and represent it the right way. >> Last one. Patrick, can you just go through the the two plays of Travis? What enabled him to be so open on the first one and and then threading the needle on the uh PD? >> Yeah.

 No, I mean the first one um I think the fact that I scrambled out to the right kind of got him open, which it wasn’t necessarily supposed to happen like that. I was supposed to pull up, but how the defensive line stunted um I I was able to get outside. Um and I think what got him open the mostly is Taekquin running down the field.

 I mean, you have that speed running at you down the field. The safety got got depth. The run game, the play action brought the the first level, second level up. And then all of a sudden, Travis is right there behind everybody. And so, um, got him the ball there and he made a big play.

 And then the last play, um, was just part of the read. Um, you could tell they were they had some confusion. We got out of the huddle kind of quickly and snapped the ball. Um, they were trying to figure out where to go to and so Noah had the the out route. I kind of gave him the eyes to him. Um, Kenneth was underneath kind of holding that level. And so then I just put it up.

 And uh when you have a big tight end like that, he can make a big play and go up and get it. And so um big play uh uh big time play for a big time player um and helped win us the game. >> And just clarify, same hotel room specifically. >> Same same hotel room, same room number, everything.

 So it was it was cool, you know, like you I didn’t even feel the nostalgia until I got there and you see the room and I’m taking pictures and I’m I’m sending I remember last time there we were watching like some type of like show on TV and we and all the guys were in my room and that team bonding. and you’ll never you’ll never uh forget that.

 And so, um it was it was cool to kind of send it to those guys and uh tell them that I’m back there and trying to win. >> I did not ask for I don’t ask for any of the rooms. So, I just kind of just [laughter] it kind of kind of happened that way. >> I remember every moment clearly. The first ball of the game. I rolled out, saw Travis running deep in the middle.

 I threw. He caught then sprinted another 25 yd, 48 yd. The whole field erupted. That was Travis in his prime, 36 years old. Even though people were whispering he was slowing down. He could still do it. I smiled under my mask, patted his cap as he ran back. You’re still there, Trav. I said, he grinned. Just throw, Patty.

 I can still run. But the game wasn’t easy. The Dolphins played tough. They took the lead for a short time. Then we took it back. Kenneth Walker scored. I threw another touchdown pass. By the end of the third quarter, the score was still very close. I looked over at Travis on the court.

 He was breathing harder than usual. Sometimes he was limping slightly after the fights. I asked over the radio, “Are you okay?” He nodded. “I’m fine. Just keep playing. I believed him. I always believed him. Then came the final minute. The Dolphins were blocked on the fourth attempt. We had possession. I looked into Travis’s eyes in the huddle.

 Are you ready? He just smiled. Always ready. I called play. He ran the corner route. I threw. He jumped up. caught the ball in the end zone. Touchdown. 24-10. The game was basically over, but when he landed, his right leg was slightly twisted. I saw it clearly. He got up slowly. His teammates hugged him. I ran over, patted him on the shoulder.

 Great job, Travis. He nodded, but his eyes averted slightly. It hurts a little, he said softly, but it’s okay. In the locker room, the atmosphere was cheerful. The music was loud. Everyone was laughing and joking. Andy Reed said a few words. I stood near Travis. He was sitting, taking off his shoes, rubbing his knee.

 The team doctors were checking me out. Just a little muscle strain, one of them said. We’ll monitor it further. Travis looked at me trying to smile. Don’t worry, Patty. I’ll play next week. But I was worried. I was very worried. I remembered the years we’d spent together. Since 2018, when I was just a draft pick, Travis had been there.

 He was my mentor. He taught me how to read defense, how to stay calm under pressure. We’d won three Super Bowls together. We’d cried together after losses, laughed together after wins. Travis wasn’t just my tight end. He was my brother, my best friend on the court. Last year when I tore my ACL, Travis was the first to call.

 He said, “You’ll come back stronger.” I know. And I came back. Now it was my turn to stand beside him. I sat down next to Travis in the locker room. Everyone else was changing, getting ready to go home. I whispered, “Tell me the truth. Does it hurt a lot?” He was silent for a moment. Then he sighed. “It hurts, but not enough to stop.

 I’ve played through more pain than this.” I knew Travis always had. He’d played with broken ribs, with a swollen ankle, with