Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce wasn’t able to help the team beat the Houston Texans, but he’s making noise this week.
Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs had a tough loss on Sunday, December 7, against the Houston Texans, and they fell with a 20-10 final score. The game was a crucial one for the future of the team this season, and after the loss, the Chiefs’ chances of making the postseason shrunk to 15%, according to NFL research.
So, it’s not impossible, but Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and the squad have work to do. This season is especially important to Kelce, because it may be his final season in the NFL. He hasn’t made it known either way whether this will be it for Kelce, but the 36-year-old has been contemplating retirement for a couple of years now, so it’s certainly a good possibility. Plus, he has his whole life with Taylor Swift in front of him, so he won’t be bored in any way in retirement.
Kelce has other ventures, too, such as his podcast with this brother Jason, “New Heights.” To put into perspective the magnitude of this podcast, let’s compare it to the rock band Foo Fighters. “New Heights” has 3.1 million subscribers on YouTube, while Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters have 4.1 million. So, they’re actually catching up to the Foo Fighters.
But, the podcast aside, Kelce is making waves amid the Chiefs’ loss to the Texans. The Chiefs have been losing on the field lately, but Kelce is winning off the field with one of his ventures, and it’s not the podcast.
Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs Boosts Popular Company
Kelce launched his collaboration, AE x Tru Kolors by Travis Kelce, with the closing line American Eagle on August 27, 2025, and it’s a partnership that’s turning out to be beneficial to American Eagle.
According to Bill McColl of Investopedia, the retailer “posted earnings per share of $0.53 on revenue that jumped 5.7% year-over-year to $1.36 billion in the third quarter.” Also, both figures were higher than analysts’ estimates. That drove stocked up %15 when the news broke, according to research from Forbes.
American Eagles says it benefited from the success of ad campaigns with Kelce and actress Sydney Sweeney. CEO Jay Schottenstein told investors on the company’s earnings call it benefited “from the success of our recent marketing campaigns, which have driven engagement, attracting new customers,” according to a transcript from AlphaSense and Investopedia.
American Eagle was “encouraged by the impact of the campaigns and collaborations with Sydney Sweeney and Travis Kelce, and now holiday gifting with Martha Stewart,” Schottenstein also said.
Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes Need to Get the Kansas City Chiefs Winning Again
So, now, let’s see Kelce bring some of that winning energy to the Kansas City Chiefs’ next game. They’ll need a win against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, December 14, to keep any playoff hopes alive.
Kelce surely would like to retire going out on top, if this is his last year. So, this Texans game is even more important to the tight end, because if he wants to win one more championship before he retires, this may be his last shot.
It’s now or never for Kelce, and that can motivate this Kansas City Chiefs squad even more against the Chargers.
Steelers Get First Real Look at Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Decision
The Pittsburgh Steelers still have three weeks before they play the Cleveland Browns for the final time this season, but they got an announcement that adds a little something extra to their AFC North showdown.
The Steelers versus Browns Week 17 game could help decide the winner of the division, or set up a dramatic ending in Pittsburgh against the Baltimore Ravens. But during the Cleveland game, the Steelers will get an opportunity to see if they made the right quarterback call during the NFL Draft.
The Browns announced that Shedeur Sanders will remain the starting quarterback for the rest of their 2025 season, ending talks of Deshaun Watson returning or Dillon Gabriel taking back over.
The first time Pittsburgh and Cleveland faced off, Gabriel was the passer, completing 29 of 52 passes for 221 yards as the Steelers won 23-9. This time, Sanders will get an opportunity to host the Steelers, and maybe show a team that passed on him that they made a mistake.
Steelers Tested The Waters With Sanders
Let’s go back to the 2025 NFL Draft. Everyone was trying to figure out where Sanders was going to land in the first round, with the Steelers as the most-likely pick. Pittsburgh held the Colorado star for a visit just before the draft and many believed it was a sign that they were going to take a chance on the QB with their first-round selection.
Instead, the Steelers passed on Sanders for Derrick Harmon. Then, they passed on him in the third round for Kaleb Johnson, and again in the fourth round for Jack Sawyer.
Sanders eventually went to the Browns in the fifth round, sparking plenty of conversation and a lot of backlash against teams who passed on him. Considering many thought he was a first-round pick heading into the draft, there’s a lot of belief that Cleveland got a steal in the later picks.
We’ll See
Now, the Steelers get their first look at the quarterback they passed on. Sanders isn’t going up against Pittsburgh’s rookie in Will Howard, who they selected in the sixth round, but against Aaron Rodgers.
If Sanders had ended up in Pittsburgh, Rodgers would’ve been the starter anyway. But the rookie gets a chance to prove to Mike Tomlin and company that he should’ve been their next franchise passer. A test that, if Sanders passes, could cause issues for the Steelers’ playoff hopes.
Sanders is 1-2 as a starter, completing 54 of 103 passes for 769 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions.
Pittsburgh travels to Cleveland in Week 17 to play at Huntington Bank Field.
