(Photo credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images)

Suspended in disbelief, Travis Kelce said he expected Patrick Mahomes to shake off his injury and rally the Kansas City Chiefs to a win last Sunday.

But as reality began to sink in and Mahomes limped to the locker room, the bigger picture is potentially even more devastating to the longtime teammates.

'And on a freakish play to see 15 go down like that, man, it f------, it was almost like it wasn't real,' Kelce said on the 'New Heights' podcast released Wednesday.

'And s--- just sucks, man. He's a warrior, man. I'm telling you. This guy's played through everything, battled through everything, has been crowned champion because he's battled through everything, and he's gonna battle through this. It's the only way this guy is wired, man. He's a fearless, fearless warrior when it comes to this football thing, and he's gonna make sure that he comes back stronger than ever.'

Whether Kelce, 36, returns to the Chiefs next season unlikely is to be officially determined until the offseason, he said. But retirement squarely was in the picture as an option weighed the past two offseasons, albeit briefly.

Should Kelce step away, Sunday's loss to the Chargers and the image of Mahomes limping away from the Arrowhead Stadium playing field is blazed into the minds of the tight end and Chiefs fans.

Kansas City (6-8) might be without Mahomes to start next season either way. Typical recovery from reconstructive lateral collateral and anterior cruciate ligament surgery is 10-12 months.

'Obviously, we lost our quarterback, man. Patty Mahomes, our guy, our brother, our fearless leader, our face of the franchise, and, to an ACL,' Kelce said on the podcast. 'It's never easy seeing your guys go down. We had a bunch of guys get hurt this past game, and we fought, man. We fought.'

The Chiefs went for a Super Bowl three-peat last February, but the questions at that time of the year in 2026 will all be pointed to which pieces are still around for the future.

Kelce's place in team and NFL history is secured. He broke Priest Holmes' all-time franchise touchdown record in November and Mahomes-to-Kelce already is the record-holder for postseason touchdowns by a quarterback and receiver. He's currently fifth all-time in the NFL for touchdowns by a tight end with 85, four behind Jimmy Graham (89) for fourth place.

Kelce was targeted consistently by Gardner Minshew II when he entered for the fallen Mahomes last week. He totaled seven receptions for 70 yards.

With three games remaining, Kelce has 798 receiving yards, and would clear 1,000 for the eighth time in his career by averaging 67.3 yards the next three weeks.

--Field Level Media