Travis Kelce expresses frustration over struggling 6-7 Chiefs: 'It's been a tough f***ing go-around'

The Kansas City Chiefs are floundering. Following the team's Week 14 loss to the Houston Texans, Kansas City finds itself in an unfamiliar spot: out of the playoffs.

At 6-7, the team has some work to do if it's hoping for another Super Bowl run. It's a surprising result considering many expected the Chiefs to be a championship-caliber team coming into the season.

Even tight end Travis Kelce is perplexed by the team's struggles, as he outlined during Wednesday's episode of "New Heights."

"It's been a tough f***ing go-around for the past two days. You put in all this f***ing work in hopes that it pays off and right now it just, for whatever f***ing reason, man, it's little things. It's, I dunno. Discipline.

"I feel like I've always had the answers in years past, and this year I just can't find them. And I keep thinking if I show up to work and put in the work, and I fix the issues through my practice habits and through perfecting the game plan and my fundamentals and what I'm being taught and go out there and try and play my ass off for my guys next to me, it's all going to come together like it has in years past. And this year it's just not, man."

That's a surprisingly bleak comment from a player who has generally provided excitement and energy to the Chiefs throughout his career. Kelce is the type to get fired up and motivate others. He was unable to do that here, a sign the Chiefs' struggles are perhaps more legitimate than people realize.

Kelce was adamant that he's going to keep working hard to try and turn the season around, but he admitted looking at the playoff picture was "a tough reality."

While the Chiefs can still rally to claim a postseason spot, the team can also be eliminated in Week 15. It would take a lot for that to happen, but wins by the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Texans, combined with the Chiefs loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, could get it done.

If that does happen, it would mark the first time since 2014 the Chiefs failed to make the playoffs. The team has played in the postseason in every year of Patrick Mahomes' career. Kelce has missed the playoffs just once over his 13 years in the NFL.

At 36, it's unclear how many more seasons Kelce has left in the league. After a bit of a down year last season, Kelce has seen his numbers tick up in 2025. But the veteran made at least one crucial mistake in the team's loss to the Texans, bobbling a pass that was intercepted as the Chiefs were trying to make a comeback.

Kelce admonished himself on "New Heights," calling the result of the play a "s***ty feeling."

With the season winding down, the Chiefs are going to have to win some tough games if they hope to reach the playoffs. After the 9-4 Chargers come to town in Week 15, the Chiefs will take on the Tennessee Titans in Week 16. The AFC West-leading Denver Broncos are on tap for Week 17, with the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders on the schedule in the final week of the regular season.

While two of those teams have a combined four wins this season, the other two are among the best in the AFC. If the Chiefs are going to make the playoffs, they'll have to prove they can beat the best the AFC has to offer.