No, Taylor Swift’s relationship with Travis Kelce hasn’t derailed the Kansas City Chiefs’ season.
The pop star was back at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, where the defending Suρer Bowl champions defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 25-17, to аvenge a Christmas Day loss to the rival Las Vegas Raiders. Swift was caught on camera with a young fan celebrating the impending victory late in the fourth quarter, when Kansas City’s Chris Jones sacked Bengals quarterback Jake Browning on Cincinnati’s final drive.
Swift was later scheduled to join Kelce and a few friends and family for a private New Year’s Eve party in the Kansas City area, but those plans may have been jeopardized by her date’s poor performance on Sunday.
Kelce was almost a non-factor for Patrick Mahomes and company, finishing with three catches for 16 yards on four targets. He is just a few yards away from his eighth consecutive 1,000-yard season.
However, the victory was significant for the 10-6 Chiefs. Kansas City not only wins its eighth consecutive AFC West title, but it also comes after a miserable 3-8 stretch that threatened their entire season. Many have suggested that Swift was somehow to blame for diverting Kelce and the Chiefs’ attention away from the task at hand, but that wasn’t the case on Sunday as Kansas City rallied to defeat the Bengals, who fell to 8-8.
Swift celebrated the Chiefs’ victory with a dink and a young Chiefs fan in a suite.
Swift was seen with a young fan, sticking her finger in the air and screaming in the child’s face, celebrating the win.
Swift was also wearing a Chiefs jacket with ‘Tay-Tay’ embroidered near the pocket, a reference to Kelce’s rumored nickname for the 34-year-old singer. Swifties took to social media to express their delight that he has adopted the fan base’s nickname for her.
Swift was in her usual suite for Sunday’s game, surrounded by the family and friends of Kelce’s Chiefs teammates, including the tight end’s mother, Donna.
And, as has become customary at Arrowhead, fans brought signs in the hopes of attracting her attention.
One astute Chiefs fan dubbed the romantic couple ‘T-N-T,’ writing, ‘They’re Dynamite!’
Another young attendee said she was ‘only here for Taylor.’
Kelce is only a few yards short of registering his eighth consecutive season with 1,000+ yards
A Swiftie stated publicly that she only went to Arrowhead to see Swift in person.
Kansas City held the Bengals scoreless for the final seven possessions, with Harrison Butker going 6 for 6 on field goals.
Patrick Mahomes threw for 245 yards and a touchdown for Kansas City (10-6), which also secured the No. 3 seed and at least one home playoff game. Rashee Rice had five catches for 127 yards and Isiah Pacheco ran 18 times for 130 yards.
The Bengals (8-8) led by 10 early but trailed 25-17 when Butker Һit his final field goal — a 46-yarder through blustery wind — with 2:59 remaining in the game.
Jake Browning Һit Tyler Boyd on a long fourth down to get into Kansas City territory, but back-to-back sacks by George Karlaftis and Chris Jones gave the Chiefs eight for the day and ended the Bengals’ comeback hopes.
Browning finished with 197 yards and a touchdown pass. Joe Mixon rushed for 65 yards and caught the game-winning touchdown pass.
Butker scored the game’s final 18 points on field goals of 54, 43, 27, 24, 48, and 46 yards.
The Bengals and Chiefs are used to playing high-stakes games when the weather turns cold, having met in two AFC championship games that came down to the wire. And they’re usually accompanied by a lot of trаsh talk, whether from elected officials or, as was the case this week, players like the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase.
Kelce was seen leaving the Chiefs team hotel in a tiger track suit ahead of Sunday’s game.
The hostility usually spills over onto the field as well. Chase and Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed got into a heated argument midway through the second quarter, and a team-wide scrum resulted in offsetting personal fouls.
The Bengals took a 10-7 lead after an 8 1/2-minute drive ended with a field goal and a 6 1/2-minute march ended with Mixon’s touchdown catch. Trey Hendrickson ran right around rookie right tackle Wanya Morris, stripped Mahomes from behind, and Sam Hubbard pounced on the loose ball to give Cincinnati the ball back.
Browning’s 1-yard touchdown run was set up by pass interference on Sneed in the end zone.
Butker’s first field goal pulled the Chiefs within 17-10, and they had a chance to take the lead on their next possession when Mahomes saw Marquez Valdes-Scantling wide open. However, another dropped pass — Kansas City’s NFL-leading 40th this season — forced the Chiefs to settle for a field goal, leaving them trailing 17-13 at the half.
The Chiefs’ offense began to show signs of life as their defense stiffened in the second half.
They stopped the Bengals on fourth-and-1 at the Kansas City 6, then drove 82 yards for Butker’s third field goal of the season. After the Bengals had to punt, Mahomes Һit Rashee Rice for 67 yards, setting up Butker’s chip shot and giving the Chiefs a comfortable lead.