Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce denied that the team intentionally lost its Week 18 game to ensure that the Cincinnati Bengals were eliminated from playoff contention.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end is making it clear that there's no truth to the rumors his team intentionally lost its game in Week 18 to shut the Cincinnati Bengals out from the NFL playoffs. The idea popped up on social media last weekend, largely from Bengals fans who believed the Chiefs were afraid to face them in the playoffs.

The Cincinnati Bengals are not one of those teams, seeing their playoff hopes fade away after the Broncos blew out the Chiefs’ second-stringers in Week 18. Amid unfounded rumors that the Chiefs purposefully gave up during their loss to Denver to ensure the Bengals would be eliminated,

Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt then caught wind of that and sent a reply during his Instagram stories: It’s all silly noise, really. But if nothing else, it shows that this rivalry is alive and well, no questions asked. Read all the best Bengals coverage at Cincinnati.com and Bengals Wire.

The Chiefs’ blowout loss to the Broncos on Sunday sparked speculation the team did not want to face the Bengals in the playoffs.

The Kansas City Chiefs are in action for Week 18, but you’ll notice that Andy Reid is sending out a new-look squad for Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos. Star players like Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones were listed as inactive for the game against their AFC West rivals, and the reason for that is simple:

Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce vehemently denied that the Chiefs lost to the Broncos on purpose to keep the Bengals out of the playoffs.

Despite the Chiefs eliminating the Bengals by losing in Week 18, Travis Kelce wanted Cincinnati in the playoffs, he says.

Travis Kelce scoffed at the notion that the Chiefs rested their starters in order to keep the Bengals out of the playoffs.