AFC Notes: Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, Bo Nix, Broncos, Chiefs

Broncos

After losing to the Bills, Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix was asked if he was satisfied with how his first NFL season turned out.

“Well, the simple answer is we didn’t win a Super Bowl,” Nix said, via BroncosWire.com. “So there’s a lot to learn from, a lot to grow from.”

“The cliché good answer would be we had a winning season, we made it to the playoffs, we did something that we haven’t done in a while,” Nix added. “We competed hard against teams that are really good. We just kind of showed [and] proved to ourselves that we belong in some of these games. You play this game to reach the highest level, so I don’t want to be complacent, and I don’t want to ever be just comfortable and satisfied and happy with something that looks good on the outside. You play this game to win, and everybody’s working for a Super Bowl. We owe that to ourselves because of the time that we put into it. Unfortunately, only one team can do that at the end of the year, so every [year], 31 teams are going home disappointed. It’s a lot to grow from, a lot to build from. I’m excited where we are. Like I said, I’m excited to be here at this time because our trajectory is going up. I’m excited for it. A lot of things we have out in front of us, a lot to look forward to which I’m pumped about.”

Broncos

Broncos HC Sean Payton said QB Bo Nix had a good performance during his first playoff experience and said the team got away from the gameplan too early in the game.

“He hung in there,” Payton said, via Broncos Wire. “He battled. There are some third downs I’m sure he’ll want back. Some plays that he’ll want back. It’s pretty tough to play that position when the opponents rushing the ball the way they are and you’re not having the consistency. We felt like — man we had — this happens a lot where you have a real good run gameplan, and you don’t do nearly, hardly any of it. Even that last series when it’s still a two-score game. There’s been a lot of times from my experience where you have to stick to the run. We run it, we run it and here we are third-and-seven. We just didn’t execute well enough and it’s frustrating.”

Chiefs

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and commented on the growth and leadership he has seen from QB Patrick Mahomes this season.

“Well, I’ve seen him weather the storm; everybody’s mentioning the protection and who we’ve had up front,” Kelce said. “I think we figured that puzzle out, and on top of that, I’ve seen Pat (Patrick Mahomes) weather that storm and become better because of it.”

“I think when the team needs him the most, he steps up in ways he hasn’t before,” Kelce added. “It happens year in, year out, and it’s just so much fun to be a part of the team with him because he’s always going to take the bull by the horns and be the most accountable, be the one that puts it on himself more than he puts it on anybody else. That’s true leadership, right there.”

• Chiefs HC Andy Reid on the left tackle situation: “I’m going to see how it goes this week. I’m going to rotate them (in practice). I was happy with what Joe (Thuney) & Mike (Caliendo) did, but I liked the snaps that DJ (Humphries) had (against the Broncos).” (Nate Taylor)