Travis Kelce wasn’t penalized in a confrontation during the AFC championship game last week, but he did receive a fine.
The NFL docked the Kansas City Chiefs tight end $11,255 for taunting on Saturday, over an incident at the end of the first half of his team’s 32-29 win over the Buffalo Bills. It is Kelce’s second fine of the season, as he lost $14,069 for unsportsmanlike conduct in Week 17.
The play in question, a Patrick Mahomes touchdown run, saw Kelce get in the face of Bills safety Damar Hamlin. After some extended jawing, Bills defensive tackle Jordan Phillips ran in and head-butted Kelce in the helmet.
The officials called a 15-yard penalty on Phillips for unnecessary roughness, with no other flags. Phillips was also fined $6,722 for the incident on Saturday.
Bills called for unsportsmanlike conduct. Kelce was talking in Hamlin’s face. Phillips came over and hit Kelce in the helmet and got flagged pic.twitter.com/DjjlFZ94V0
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) January 27, 2025
The only other fine from the game was a $11,255 fine on Bills safety Matt Milano for unnecessary roughness in the fourth quarter.
Kelce finished the game with two catches and 19 receiving yards on four targets.
While Kelce-Phillips confrontation was responsible for the majority of fines in the game, there was plenty more controversy when it came to the officiating, a running theme for the Chiefs. If one of the team’s linebackers is representative of the locker room’s feelings, they do not care.
