Travis Kelce has admitted he ‘blacked out’ before throwing a lateral to Samaje Perine in the Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the New Orleans Saints.
Kelce sent fans wild in the second quarter of Monday night’s game after flicking an underhanded lateral to Chiefs teammate Perine, who nearly picked up the first down after facing a third and 22.
On the latest episode of their New Heights podcast, Travis’ brother Jason quizzed him on the incredible pass, which Kansas City head coach Andy Reid confirmed was a designed call.
Jason, who was covering the game at Arrowhead with ESPN, said about the lateral: ‘You did the riskiest thing! What was going on here?
‘I knew, before you even pitched this… when you caught it I was like, “This dude is about to pitch the ball.” What goes on in your head?’
Travis Kelce says he ‘blacked out’ before throwing a lateral in the Chiefs’ latest victory
Travis then revealed: ‘It all happened so fast. I kind of blacked out, which I’m sure Coach Reid is going to love hearing.’
‘I’m sure Coach Reid doesn’t care,’ Jason replied. ‘Because there’s never been one of these that hasn’t worked out!’
Kelce’s last attempt at a lateral was a successful one, but ultimately it didn’t count after his overhand throw to Kadarius Toney – which would have brought a go-ahead touchdown against the Buffalo Bills – was called back due to an offside penalty against the former Chiefs wide receiver.
This time, though, Perine had moved into a legal position before taking the catch from Kelce and completing a 21-yard gain.
Jason then asked his brother if he knew where the running back was going to be as he caught the ball himself.
‘I had no idea,’ Travis admitted. ‘I was reversing field, I felt guys over, I was like, “Oh, I can get more yards going this way” and then I realized I couldn’t get more yards going that way.
Kelce’s lateral to Samaje Perine gained 21 yards and nearly picked up a first down
The Chiefs tight end was quizzed about his unique pass by brother Jason this week
‘There’s a guy in red over here, I just feel him. It’s like fast-break basketball, you just feel your guy running the lane.’
After Jason compared him to Larry Bird, Travis added: ‘You can’t just throw it on me, unbelievable job by Perine to actually be ready… he was kind of shuffling.’
It proved another positive evening for Kelce as he hauled in nine receptions for 70 yards in the Chiefs’ latest victory.
The 34-year-old had faced questions about his NFL future earlier in the season after putting up career-worst numbers in Kansas City’s first three games.
But with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching on in the stands, Kelce produced another solid display to help his team claim a 26-13 win, following on from a strong performance in last week’s 17-10 victory over the LA Chargers.
