2 days ago
4
Rob Gronkowski was left extremely unimpressed by the Chiefs' Week 1 loss - and believes the reigning AFC champions will 'fold' when opponents 'punch them in the face.'
Kansas City were defeated 27-21 by the Chargers in Brazil as Patrick Mahomes and the offense struggled to get much going. Defensive stars Chris Jones and Drue Tranquill were also seen having a yelling match at one point as tempers flared.
And four-time Super Bowl winner Gronkowski believes the Chiefs are not the same team from last season.
'The Philadelphia Eagles opened the floodgates last year in the Super Bowl versus the Kansas City Chiefs... the Philadelphia Eagles punched them in the face,' Gronkowski began on 'Up & Adams.'
'The Chiefs didn't know how to react to that, because no one else was doing that. Well, going into this year now, the Los Angeles Chargers punched them in the face. The Chiefs were like, 'Whoa, they're coming at us, how do we react?' Well, they didn't know how to react because no one was doing that before.
'So the Philadelphia Eagles opened that floodgate of, 'Hey, if you punch these guys in the face, you take it to 'em and come out swinging, they're going to fold and they're not going to be the team you've been seeing all last year.''
Rob Gronkowski had some harsh words for the Chiefs following their loss to the Chargers
Chris Jones (95) and Drue Tranquill (helmet off) were seen yelling at each other in-game
Towards the end of the Chiefs' loss to the Chargers, cameras on the YouTube broadcast captured a tense confrontation between pass rusher Jones and linebacker Tranquill.
While teammate Nick Bolton stood between the two to separate them, Tranquill appeared to yell, 'I'm trying to win bro, and we lose every contain.'
And while Tranquill downplayed the exchange after the game, telling The Athletic's Jesse Newell that 'emotions are just high,' Gronkowski was taken aback by the bickering.
'What I was surprised about was when things aren't going their way, they start yelling at each other, their blame game starts going on, you see it on the sidelines,' Gronkowski said.
'That's not a good situation. You want to come together when you're down, when things aren't going your way, you want to come together to figure out why everything's not going the way it needs to go. So to see them starting to point fingers is not a good sign. They got to get incorporated, and get on the same page and not be blaming others.'
The former tight end also had some sobering words for Travis Kelce.
Kelce was mostly kept in check against the Chargers and accidentally injured his teammate
The 36-year-old, who flirted with retirement in the offseason, caught just two balls (albeit for 47 yards and a touchdown) against LA.
And Gronkowski doesn't feel that the Chiefs can use the four-time All-Pro the way they have in past seasons.
'Travis Kelce is going to be used in situational football, Gronkowski said. 'I don't think that you can depend on him, first, second, third down, and every single play but in situational football, he can come through for them.'
Nonetheless, Kelce may have to be relied on more in the coming weeks, after he accidentally injured receiver Xavier Worthy by colliding with him during a route.
The Chiefs will look to get their first win of the season this weekend in a Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles.
