Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: NFL, Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes
James Taylor
Travis Kelce has been mocked by the Los Angeles Chargers after they ended the Kansas City Chiefs' hopes of making a fourth consecutive Super Bowl appearance.
The Chiefs needed to win all four of their remaining regular-season games to stand any chance of reaching the post-season.
However, a 16-13 defeat to the Chargers brought those hopes to an end, ruling Kansas City out of contention with three games of the season still to play.
It has been a hugely disappointing campaign for the Chiefs, who only narrowly missed out on a historic third consecutive Super Bowl victory in February.
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After Sunday's defeat, Kansas City will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014, bringing an end to a dominant era in the NFL.
The Chargers were quick to poke fun at their rivals, including tight end Kelce.
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On X, they shared an edited clip from SpongeBob SquarePants, in which Mr Krabs drives SpongeBob past his house after ignoring the directions he had been given.
In the edited version, SpongeBob represents the Chiefs, Mr Krabs symbolises the NFL and the house is labelled as the playoffs.
Instead of turning into the house, Mr Krabs drives past the house and onto Cancun, mocking Kansas City for their failure to reach the post-season.
The Chiefs absence from the playoffs for the first time in over a decade has led many NFL fans to suggest it marks the end of an era.
That belief gained further momentum following the closing stages of Sunday's match when quarterback Patrick Mahomes was forced off injured.
The 30-year-old, who has reached at least the AFC Championship Game in each of the past seven seasons, has torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee.
Typically, that injury takes between six months and a year to recover from, potentially ruling Mahomes out of the start of next season.
However, one player who may not return at all is tight-end Kelce.
Just last month, the 36-year-old confirmed he would wait until the end of the season before deciding whether to retire, giving the Chiefs sufficient time to find a replacement.
As per Sky Sports, he said: "It's one of those things where I'd like to make that decision before they have draft picks and free agency opens and they can go out there and fill the roster appropriately.
"All of that will be after the season.
"I won't think about it until then."
Kelce has been a regular starter for the Chiefs since 2014 and is one of six players to have won three Super Bowls with the team.
Kelce's extended family, including his fiancée and music superstar Taylor Swift were at the Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, fuelling speculation that they may have wanted to watch him play one final time before he retires.