Chiefs' Travis Kelce: Felt Like Bucs Had Answer for Everything in Super Bowl 55

It was just one of those days for the Kansas City Chiefs.   

"One of those days where it felt like anything we did, they just had an answer for it," star tight end Travis Kelce told reporters after Sunday's 31-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV. 

Kelce, 31, was one of the few Chiefs to post decent stats against the stout Bucs defense, catching 10 passes (on 15 targets) for 133 yards.

But Tampa's defense was up in Mahomes' grill all game long, forcing him into three sacks and two interceptions while keeping the Kansas City offense out of sync. 

"We were a tick off," Kelce told reporters. "... Leaving points on the board, drop passes, penalties, at that point a lot of momentum was on their side. ... It was tough sledding from there. ... No excuses. We just gotta be better."

Chiefs fans might point to the fact that the team was without its two starting offensive tackles or the disparity in penalties called between the teams (the Chiefs were penalized 11 times for 120 yards while the Bucs saw just four flags thrown their way for 39 yards). 

But Kelce wasn't interested in excuses. 

"I'm not going to get into the penalties," he said after the game. "We've got to play the game by the rules and just be better."

In the past three seasons, Kelce and the Chiefs have played in an AFC Championship Game, won a Super Bowl and lost a Super Bowl. There's little reason to believe they won't be contenders next year. Bet against Mahomes, Kelce, Andy Reid and Tyreek Hill at your own risk. 

It's hard to win titles in the NFL. Sunday just clearly wasn't Kansas City's night, in large part because the Bucs ensured it wouldn't be.