As the reigning Super Bowl champs, the Kansas City Chiefs entered the 2023 NFL season with very high expectations.
But as Week 13 comes to a close, the team has lost two of its last three games and surrendered the top seed in the AFC, leading some fans to wonder if the best days of the Patrick Mahomes era have already come and gone.
Of course, much of the recent coverage of the team has centered around the whirlwind romance between Taylor Swift and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Swift has been a frequent presence at her new boyfriend’s games, and it’s widely rumored that she’s been living at Kelce’s house during the week.
And when Taylor’s on tour, Travis jets off to catch her show whenever his schedule permits.
Chiefs fans loved every second of this fairytale romance at first, but now, a handful of very vocal haters have become convinced that it’s become a distraction for Travis.
If you’re a football fan then you’re probably aware that the Chiefs defense has been dominant this season, but the offense — of which Kelce is a crucial component — has been a shadow of its former self.
Obviously, it’s unfair to blame Swift for the fact that the Chiefs suffered an upset loss against the ascendant Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.
But disappointed fans who are desperate for answers have been known to buy into all sorts of batsh-t theories.
Taylor was on hand for last night’s game, and historically, she’s been a good luck charm for the Travis and the Chiefs.
(Willingly flying to Wisconsin in December? If that’s not a sign of true love, we don’t know what is!)
In fact, this is the first time that the Chiefs have lost a game with Taylor in attendance.
But KC wasn’t able to get it done last night, and Kelce was somewhat less stellar than usual.
While it was a record-breaking outing for Travis — he reached the 11,000 yards milestone faster than any tight end in NFL history — he was neutralized for much of the night and failed to deliver his usual heroics when targeted for a touchdown on the final play of the game.
It was a hard-fought, memorable contest — but there’s no denying that by the standards of the most dominant NFL team of the decade, the second half of this Chiefs season has been a bit lackluster.
And some fans think the time has come for Travis to refocus on football.
Of course, they almost certainly would not have the same complaints if Travis was dating anyone other than the most famous pop star on the planet, and we’re guessing very few haters have given their argument much thought.
As for Kelce, he’s not blaming anyone but himself for last night’s loss.
Despite some questionable officiating — including what appeared to be a missed pass interference call on that dramatic final play — Travis refused to pin the Chiefs’ loss on the refs.
“I ain’t gonna blame this on anybody but ourselves,” he said in a post-game interview.
As for tight ends feelings toward his iconic new boo, it looks as though he’s more head-over-heels by the day.
As Travis’ brother, Jason Kelce, pointed out on today’s episode of their podcast, Taylor was quick to “like” a tweet from the Chiefs’ account announcing her boyfriend’s yardage record.
“Alright now. Thanks Tay,” Travis responded with a laugh.
The man’s got a whole lot to smile about — regardless of whether or not his team is once again Super Bowl-bound.