Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs are in the Super Bowl for the third straight season after defeating Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills 32-29 in the AFC Championship Game.
Kelce had much less of an impact than he did in the Divisional Round win over the Houston Texans, recording just two catches for 19 yards.
However, there was a moment from the game that caught the NFL’s attention, enough so to punish the former Cincinnati Bearcats tight end a week before the Super Bowl.
With roughly two minutes left in the second quarter, Patrick Mahomes ran it into the end zone from one yard out to give the Chiefs a 21-10 lead. After the play, Kelce got in the faces of Bills safety Damar Hamlin and Cole Bishop before the three exchanged a few words. Then, Buffalo defensive tackle Jordan Phillips came over to Kelce and bumped into him.
Travis Kelce has a special ability in the NFL where he is the only person who is allowed to taunt their opponent and not get a flag called!
pic.twitter.com/YzG7qUat7G— JankeesWinWTF (@JankeesWin) January 27, 2025
For the taunt, Kelce was fined $11,255 for “unsportsmanlike conduct (taunting).” But he wasn’t the only player from the AFC championship game that was fined.
Phillips was hit with a lower fine of $6,722 for his “unnecessary roughness (use of the helmet),” the only player that was penalized by the officials for the second quarter incident. Bills linebacker Matt Milano received a $11,255 fine for a separate unnecessary roughness (facemask)” late in the fourth quarter.
This is not the first time the NFL has fined Kelce during the 2024 season. He was hit with a $14,069 penalty for his field goal dunk celebration, which came after he broke Tony Gonzalez’s record for the most receiving touchdowns in franchise history.
Kelce and the Chiefs will look to pull off the first-ever three-peat in NFL history as they face the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
