Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce raved about New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick following the Chiefs’ 27-17 win over the Patriots this past Sunday, and afterward, Belichick returned the favor.
“Yeah, well, I have a ton of respect for the Chiefs organization, Andy [Reid]. [Patrick] Mahomes, Travis Kelce, they’re both great players,” Belichick said, via Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. “They’re hard to coach against, hard to defend. So, I have a ton of respect for the way they play the game and how good they are, how consistent they are and the job they’ve done.”
Considering how tight-lipped Belichick typically is, that was certainly some heavy praise.
Kelce said that he has “all the respect in the world” for Belichick and that going up against Belichick-led defenses is “the toughest job in the NFL.”
The 34-year-old actually had one of his least productive outings of the season against New England, logging five catches for 28 yards. That represented Kelce’s lowest yardage total since Nov. 5 and his third-lowest of 2023 overall.
On the season as a whole, Kelce has hauled in 85 receptions for 924 yards and five touchdowns and seems to be well on his way to a ninth straight Pro Bowl appearance.
Belichick, on the other hand, has not been so successful this year.
The legendary coach has gone just 3-11 thus far this season, and rumor has it that Belichick’s run in Foxborough could be coming to an end.
Belichick is now in his 24th campaign as head coach of the Pats and has led the franchise to six Super Bowl titles and nine Super Bowl appearances throughout his illustrious tenure.
However, since Tom Brady departed via free agency in March 2020, the Patriots have fallen on hard times, and Bill Belichick may very well be on his way out the door this coming offseason.
Meanwhile, Travis Kelce and the Chiefs are 9-5 and are looking to win back-to-back championships.
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