KANSAS City Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman has emphasized the role of Travis Kelce’s leadership in the team’s stunning Super Bowl run.

The NFL wideout said that the star tight end was buzzing in Las Vegas – as evidenced by his altercation with head coach Andy Reid.

Kansas City Chiefs wideout Mecole Hardman said Travis Kelce told head coach Andy Reid to step up his playcalling in their heated altercation during Super Bowl LVIIICredit: TWITTER/@Realrclark25

Kelce lashed out at Reid as the Chiefs suffered a tough first half in the championship matchup against the San Francisco 49ersCredit: Getty
Hardman, 25, opened up about the Super Bowl LVIII win over the San Francisco 49ers in an appearance on Ryan Clark’s The Pivot podcast.

And he said that Kelce, 34, was the team’s driving force during the later stages of the championship bid.

The ex-Georgia standout – who reunited with Kansas City in a midseason trade from the New York Jets – said that when he returned to Arrowhead Stadium, he couldn’t recognize the Chiefs tight end.

“When I got back, the leader he was, was 3-4 times more powerful than it’s been since I’ve been there,” he said, “Off the charts, bro.”

Hardman said Kelce’s speech on the eve of the big game was Ray Lewis-like, making the team want to win the game for the tight end.

And, the wide receiver suggested, the nine-time Pro Bowler’s passion was what led to his infamous sideline clash with Reid early into the clash.

Hardman said Kelce told the head coach to step up his playcalling – and then went after his teammates in the locker room as the Chiefs faced a 10-3 deficit at halftime.

Recalling the tight end’s heated exchange with Reid, Hardman said: “He like, ‘Man, call some f***ing plays. Let us go work. We ain’t calling the plays we should be calling.’

“Then we get to the locker room, he flipped the table, the f***ing training bike over.”

However, Kelce wasn’t just pointing fingers as he made sure he improved after the disastrous first half himself, Hardman noted.

“His leadership was top-notch,” he told Clark.

“And you could see the difference. Even in the second half, the catches he was making.

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“You could feel the energy. The energy he has is contagious.

“It goes from the head coach all the way down to the people that ain’t even playing.”

Kansas City beat San Francisco 25-22 after overtime, claiming the championship for the third time in five years.