Tight end Travis Kelce and head coach Andy Reid once again found themselves in a heated sideline confrontation, this time during a tense first half of the Kansas City Chiefs‘ game against the New York Giants.

The Chiefs’ offense slogged through a dreadful first half against the equally dreadful Giants team, despite desperately needing their first win of the season if they are to have any hopes of getting back to the Super Bowl.

Anger was starting to boil over.

Reid confronted Kelce after a drive involving Taylor Swift’s boyfriend getting one catch for -2 yards was stalled. That led to an eventual missed field goal from kicker Harrison Butker.

Things were bad. The incident escalated when Reid appeared to shoulder-check Kelce as the tight end vented frustration.

Andy Reid downplays the Incident

These are the types of dysfunctional things that happen when your team is struggling mightily. Kelce, in particular, is having a tough season so far, and fans have to be questioning if his elevated status due to his relationship with a pop star is starting to interfere with his ability to play football.

Kelce wound up with four receptions for just 26 yards, making him a non-factor in the Chiefs’ eventual 22-9 win.

Still, Reid downplayed the incident and praised Kelce for his passion.

“I love Travis’ passion, man,” the coach said. “I’m OK with that. We didn’t have enough of it in the second quarter. It wasn’t where we needed it to be, so, within reason, he knows when to back off the pedal and knows when to push it too.”

“That’s the part I love about him. The guy is all-in. Sometimes, I have to be the policeman. He’s an emotional guy.”

He can police Kelce’s emotions all day long. But what he can’t do is convince his star tight end to harness that anger and turn it into something positive. It’s not like Kelce went off offensively after the incident.

In three games so far this season, Travis has 10 catches for 134 yards and one touchdown. That’s the kind of production you’d expect from the 10-time Pro Bowler in one game.

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Not the first time they’ve tangled on the Sidelines

As most NFL fans know, this isn’t the first high-profile incident between Andy Reid and his star tight end. They had a similar clash during Super Bowl LVIII.

Kelce was livid with his coach for being on the sideline during a play in the early part of the second quarter of that Super Bowl. Running back Isiah Pacheco lost a fumble in the red zone following a huge 52-yard pass from quarterback Mahomes to wide receiver Mecole Hardman. At the time, it could have been a very costly mistake.

And while Pacheco apologized to anybody who would listen to him, Kelce responded to the adversity by shoving his 65-year-old coach on the sideline, apparently for daring to not have him in on that particular play.

🔥🚨DEVELOPING: Travis Kelce pushed head coach Andy Reid on the sideline after Chiefs fumble. He acts like Taylor Swift is planning on leaving him after this game. pic.twitter.com/teofvDb6YU

— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) February 12, 2024

Kelce joked about the incident after the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers, saying, “I was just telling him how much I love him.” Reid also downplayed the controversy.

This time, it appeared to be Andy Reid who was the aggressor. But what is he saying about Kelce’s passion? Was his tight end making a fool out of himself again with the ranting and raving? Like he did last week?

You may recall that the three-time Super Bowl champ was seen chastising teammates in a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles, slamming his helmet, before making a costly bobble that landed into the arms of a defender.

There’s major trouble brewing in KC. And a win against the lowly Giants isn’t going to mask that fact.

Rusty Weiss is a lifelong NFL and MLB fan (Cowboys/Dodgers) and sometimes fan of college basketball (Xavier). Rusty is ... More about Rusty Weiss