Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce struggled to hide his frustration after teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster made a costly error in the red zone.
With just under two minutes remaining in the third quarter of the Chiefs’ 26-13 win over the Saints, Kansas City looked to be on the verge of scoring with the ball on New Orleans’ two-yard line. But on second and goal, quarterback Patrick Mahomes faked a handoff to Kareem Hunt and uncorked a bullet to Smith-Schuster, who was unable to reel in the catch.
Upon being hit from behind by Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo, Smith-Schuster lost hold of the pass while falling to the turf. Before the ball could hit the ground, it was corralled with one hand by defensive tackle Khalen Saunders, who returned the interception 37 yards and was finally taken down by guard Joe Thuney.
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The brutal mistake squandered a golden opportunity for the Chiefs, giving the Saints a second lease on life in the 16-7 contest. Moments after the play, ESPN’s broadcast panned to Kelce looking disgruntled and exasperated on the sideline.
Taking to social media, fans promptly poked fun at Kelce's facial expression. “It's going to be a long night for Travis,” one X user wrote, with another adding: “Bro looks severely depressed.”
A third said: “Kelce must be thinking, 'Come on, JuJu!' Tough to watch those drops, but there's always the next play!”
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Following his dropped pass, Smith-Schuster redeemed himself later on in the contest by reeling in several big catches. The 27-year-old finished the contest with seven receptions for 130 yards, marking his first 100-yard game since October 2022. As for Kelce, he recorded a season-high nine catches on 10 targets for 70 yards.
Saunders’ interception and Kelce’s immediate reaction is all the more funny when considering the unique connection between them. The former’s brother, Kameron Saunders, actively serves as a backup dancer behind Taylor Swift - the latter’s girlfriend - on her iconic Eras Tour.
In fact, Kelce and Kameron graced the stage together at Wembley Stadium this summer as Swift performed the song “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart.” The pair each donned matching black suits and top hats, at one point posing alongside the pop icon in a photo that was featured in ESPN’s broadcast of Monday’s game.
When asked by reporters last week who Kameron would be rooting for when the Chiefs faced off against the Saints, Saunders asserted: “Me, of course, he don't care about the Chiefs, he care about his brother. So yeah, I mean, that's his boss, but I'm his brother, I was here first.
“Hopefully she'll be there, but if not, he's gonna be on my side cheering. He ain't gonna be cheering for the Chiefs, even though he actually does have a key to the city in Kansas City too, but that's beyond the point. He gonna be cheering for me, cuz I'm paying for his ticket.”
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