The Kansas City Chiefs opened up their scorebook with a touchdown in the first quarter of the Week 1 game against the Denver Broncos. Patrick Mahomes scrambled up the middle for 15 yards from the Denver 15-yard line on second-and-15, reaching the end zone for a touchdown. The touchdown gave Kansas City the game’s first six points before Harrison Butker’s extra point made it 7-0. However, the touchdown also drew attention to an apparent hold by Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

Near the end zone, Kelce appeared to grab Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga and pull him to the ground as Hufanga moved toward Mahomes. The play prompted debate over whether the contact warranted a holding penalty, as none was called.

But ESPN’s Troy Aikman certainly called the hold on air, and the recap confirmed it. 

“Travis Kelce might have gotten away with a hold,” Aikman said. “But Patrick Mahomes, he does not protect himself as he thought he might. He takes it into the end zone. But here’s a look at what looked to be a hold by Travis Kelce at the end of the play.”

ESPN rules analyst Russell Yurk agreed with Aikman.

“Yeah Troy, I agree with you. You could see Travis puts his left arm out and restricts over the chest of the defender trying to make the tackle. And that prevents him from really being able to get there. …I think it’s tough for the officials to see, but it is a hold.”

Even Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe had to take it to X, writing: “Refs not calling holding on Neph (Kelce) is crazy.”

It’s worth noting that Kelce’s hold came after the Chiefs got a 10-yard penalty on the previous play. At 8:27 on the clock in the first quarter, Mahomes scrambled for 5 yards for a touchdown. But the touchdown was nullified by a penalty. The officials penalized Kahlil Benson for offensive holding. 

Soon after Rate The Refs shared a replay of the apparent Kelce hold on X, fans began criticizing the officials for missing the call.

“Yep! Holding for sure!  Should not have been a TD,” one fan wrote, calling for the touchdown to be overturned. “Theres holding on every play,” another fan added. “It was clear af,” one more fan commented. 

Some fans even dragged Kelce’s significant other, Taylor Swift, into the picture. “Refs gave Kelce a little belated wedding present, not calling that hold,” one fan wrote on X. 

“Yes, the @NFL is still rigged bull—t working for the Chiefs. Roger Goodell mainly,” a fan slammed the big guns of the league. Even the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, wasn’t safe.  “Yep. @nfl will absolutely make sure Taylor and Mahomes,” another fan added to the notion. “Do not lose this game.” 

As per Rule 12, Section 1, Article 3(C), an illegal block by an offensive player (holding) is a foul if the blocker uses his hands or arms to restrict the defender’s path. The rule applies regardless of whether the offensive player’s hands are inside or outside the frame. And the tight end had both his hands wrapped around Hufanga as he tried to stop him from breaking Mahomes’ play.

Had officials called Kelce for offensive holding, the Chiefs would have been assessed a 10-yard penalty, with the down replayed according to the applicable enforcement rules.

In January 2025, football analyst Warren Sharp highlighted a striking penalty disparity involving Kansas City, sharing that the team has gone 11 straight playoff games without committing more penalties than their opponents, which also turned out to be the longest streak by any team in the last 30 years.

“7 roughing the passer on opponents… 1 on KC,” Sharp noted some of the stats. “4 unnecessary roughness on opponents… 1 on KC. 11 DPI or defensive holding on opponents… 2 on KC.”

This time, the hold came when Kelce was trying to protect Mahomes. The quarterback had just returned after roughly nine months of rehabilitation following the ACL and LCL tears he suffered in his left knee in December 2025.

While the Chiefs celebrated Mahomes’ opening score, the missed call quickly prompted another round of online accusations that Kansas City benefits from favorable officiating.