The fairytale love story of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift has won the NFL world over. They were first rumored to be dating in September 2023, and since then, the two have been inseparable, with Taylor frequently spotted cheering for her beau at Arrowhead. So much so that many consider Taylor to be the lucky charm Kelce found. But does this theory hold any truth, or do the stats tell a different story?
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While the Chiefs star scored 12 touchdowns in 2022, a year before Taylor came into his life, his production has since dipped. Last season, with Taylor in attendance or not, the star tight end tallied just five touchdowns. This season too, the story hasn’t been any different, as Travis has scored just one touchdown in eight starts.
Swift has proven to be a lucky charm for the team as a whole, though. The Chiefs have an impressive 13-3 win record with the ‘Lover’ hitmaker in attendance.
On top of this, considering Kansas City’s undisputed dominance that led to them winning another Super Bowl in February, it’s safe to assume that the franchise won’t have any problem with Swift in the stands, or in her VIP box. Even the man in question considers her a “good luck charm,” as reported by The Messenger.
The numbers, however, still tell a different story. In the 2024 season, Kelce’s stats have noticeably slowed. The 35-year-old tight end’s average yards per reception dropped from 10 to 8.4. Many fans quickly turned on Swift, blaming her presence as a distraction contributing to his sub-par play.
Since the two got together, Kelce has also dipped his toes into off-the-field ventures like a game show, a cameo in Grotesquerie, and even produced a film. With his slow start to the 2024 season and these arguable distractions, an NFL analyst believes his offseason revelry is to blame for this year’s sub-par performance.
Travis Kelce’s poor stats have fans pointing fingers at Swift
Last month, Todd McShay had an unfiltered take on Kelce‘s performance this season. He attributed the drop in his numbers to the athlete’s “partying all season.” He further added:
“He’s been jet-setting around with the most famous person probably in the entire world.”
This take soon caught fire, but Jason Kelce put an end to the speculations before the Chiefs’ matchup against the Saints. Emphasizing that “football has always been the most important thing” in Travis’ life, Jason explained that his brother has always enjoyed his time off, even before his relationship with the singer.
“He has always lived his life to the fullest,” said Jason via NFL on ESPN. “He has enjoyed his off-seasons very much even before Taylor Swift and everything else that was going on in our lives.
As for Travis, he isn’t too worried about what people have to say. The Chiefs star discussed his low productivity with his older brother on their podcast, New Heights. He openly stated that he doesn’t care much about his numbers, of course, as long as the offense is successful. And boy, did the Chiefs’ offense find success this season, currently on an undefeated 8-0 streak.
“Come on now. I’m not getting caught up in getting the targets and all that… I just want to have a successful offense. And I think Pat’s doing a great job of finding the open guy and making the right decisions right now.”
So, it doesn’t seem that Taylor Swift has any real influence on Travis Kelce’s performance. It’s likely age catching up to him, as Kelce has long surpassed the average peak age for tight ends, which is 27. For now, the Chiefs star is on an undefeated run with his squad and will face the Broncos on Sunday, Nov. 10.
