KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Cincinnati Bengals finished the regular season on a high note by winning their final five games.

Unfortunately, the Bengals missed the playoffs because of how they started the season, losing four of their first five games.

Cincinnati had a chance to make the playoffs, but it was dependent on the Chiefs winning their season finale at Denver. Instead, the Chiefs rested most of their starters and lost.

Bengals fans were livid, saying the Chiefs were afraid to face Cincinnati in the playoffs.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce addressed that talk on the latest New Heights podcast, which was released Wednesday. Brother Jason Kelce brought up the talk of the Chiefs ducking the Bengals and that raised Travis Kelce’s ire.

“I ain’t scared of ... nobody,” Kelce said, his voice rising. “I wanted them in the ... playoffs. I want to slay every dragon one by one, like Mortal Kombat. I don’t even want this to be like we play the lowest seed. Just give me the best teams.”

Jason tried to calm his brother: “Travis, I’m just telling you what people are saying.“

“AFC, NFC, give me all of them, Mortal Kombat style,” Travis Kelce continued. “I’ll go through every ... one of ‘em just giving them my best ... effort. I ain’t scared of a single soul, man.”

Jason then poked his brother by saying fans believed the Chiefs didn’t want to face the Bengals in Cincinnati or at “Burrowhead.” That’s what Cincy fans dubbed Arrowhead Stadium in honor of Joe Burrow’s one victory there.

Travis Kelce offered a novel solution, even if it would never happen.

“I’ll play them at the Walmart parking lot,” he said. “I don’t give a (care). We can have our own game in the offseason where we really duke it out.

“Listen, I love competing against the greatest. The Bengals were a fun-ass ... team to watch there towards the end of the season, and it’s a shame they didn’t make it in the playoffs, because they would have made the playoffs that much ... crazier and that much more fun.”

Kelce on the Bengals

Following the season, the Bengals fired defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, a move that shocked the Kelce brothers.

“I don’t know what the (heck) is going on over there,” Travis Kelce said. “That was a wild, wild move I did not see coming, because I thought that from the outside, their defense was playing really ... good towards the end of the year.”

Jason Kelce added that Anarumo has proven to be a great coach.

‘I’m with you, dude, I’m with you,” Travis Kelce said. “I’ve always respected the hell out of him. I’ve also respected a lot of the players on that side of the ball, given who they had this year. ... That was one of the wackiest years of football I’ve ever seen from a team that I thought was 10 times better than what their record showed. And I know that just playing against them.

“We didn’t ... throw any game. Guys were out there competing their ass off trying to get a win. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t put drives together. We couldn’t stop Denver. And it wasn’t a fun game to be a part of. And I’m just sitting here on the sideline like, ‘Hey boys, don’t let this ruin our ... mojo.’ ”

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