Travis Kelce Says He'd Take 2025 Chiefs Over Last Year's AFC Title Team Despite Woes

Travis Kelce says he feels the Kansas City Chiefs have improved since last season despite a 5-5 record through Week 11 of the 2025 season.

"It's frustrating because it's gotten to the point where we're 5-5," Kelce told his brother, Jason Kelce, around the 7:20 mark of Wednesday's episode of their New Heights podcast. "We're .500 going into the back end of the schedule here. Got seven games left, and we've basically got to run the table. And I haven't been in this situation in a long, long time.

"And it's even more frustrating knowing the kind of guys that we have, knowing the kind of talent that we have, knowing the type of coaches that we've had. Everyone's gotta just kind of look themselves in the mirror."

Kelce was then asked, in a head-to-head matchup between the 2024 Chiefs and 2025 Chiefs, which team he would bet on to win.

"I'm taking this year's," Kelce said.

The Chiefs, who finished on top of the AFC with a 15-2 record in 2024, currently sit behind the Denver Broncos (9-2) and Los Angeles Chargers (7-4) for the AFC West lead.

Kelce said it will be up to the Chiefs offense to help lead the team to victory during Sunday's Week 12 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.

"We're going to have to put up f--king points to help our defense," Kelce said. "Last week, we didn't do that. This week, it's about time we put it together, man."

The Chiefs lost to the Broncos last Sunday despite getting the ball with the score tied at 19-19 and just over four minutes left on the clock.

Patrick Mahomes attempted a deep pass to Kelce that didn't connect on a second down, then lost 11 yards on a third-down sack that forced the Chiefs to punt.

The Broncos responded by marching into field goal range, where Wil Lutz kicked a 35-yarder to end the game.

That wasn't the first time Mahomes has been unable to come up with an answer late in a close game. The Chiefs are now 0-5 in games decided by one score this season.

The New Orleans Saints (2-8) and the Washington Commanders (3-8) are the only other teams who have yet to win a one-score game through Week 11.

That's a major difference from the 2024 Chiefs, who went 12-0 in one-score games during the regular season and playoffs on their way to Super Bowl LIX.

Those struggles come despite the fact that the Chiefs are, on average, scoring more and making fewer turnovers than last season.

"It feels like it's all self-inflicting," Kelce said about the Chiefs' late-game struggles. "It feels like the answers are right there in front of us, and we've just got to f--king do it."

The AFC West title may have all but slipped out of the Chiefs' reach, but Kansas City could still find a path to the playoffs if they can fight for a Wild Card berth down the stretch.

The Chiefs will need a big game from Mahomes in order to keep up with the Colts, who are currently leading the NFL with 32.1 points per game, when the push for the playoffs resumes this weekend.