Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce rips ref over holding call on two-point try

Travis Kelce pinned the Kansas City Chiefs' 18-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on poor officiating.

Specifically, the Pro Bowl tight end said the holding call on Chiefs left tackle Eric Fisher -- flagged for pulling Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison to the ground on a game-tying two-point conversion pass completion by quarterback Alex Smith -- was bogus.

"Try to play this game with integrity and to the end of the whistle, and when they want to take over the game and make it their own platform there's nothing you can do about it," Kelce said Sunday night after the game. "That wasn't a hold on my guy Eric Fisher. ... That was horse (crap), flat out. It sucks. It sucks."

Kelce singled out Carl Cheffers for throwing the flag on Fisher, who sat with his head in his hands at his locker minutes after the game.

"Referee No. 51 shouldn't be able to wear a zebra jersey ever again," Kelce said. "He shouldn't even be able to work at (expletive) Foot Locker."

Kelce had his own issues during the game. He went long stretches without a reception facing double coverage from the Steelers' inside linebackers and drew a 15-yard penalty for shoving a player to the ground well after a play. He was ejected from a game in November for throwing his towel, as if to toss a flag, when lobbying for a pass interference penalty.

Kelce caught five passes for 77 yards in Sunday's loss.

The holding call on Fisher was away from the play and took the tying two points off the board and Smith threw an incompletion on the subsequent two-point try from the 12-yard line. The Steelers then kept the ball for the rest of the game after the ensuing kickoff.

"I've seen a lot worse not called," Smith said.