As much as NFL fans may want to focus on the on-field action, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift have stolen the show during the 2023 campaign. When a global celebrity (potentially) joins forces with a talented player on one of the league’s top teams, it’s tough to look away.
And, from Kansas City’s perspective, things just keep rolling. While the performances haven’t been perfect, the Chiefs are 2-0 with Swift in the stands. Kelce, according to reports, has even taken to joking that the pop star is his good-luck charm.
Believing in luck can be a personal thing, but the Chiefs organization better not get too reliant on Swift’s positive mojo. If nothing else, she’ll be booked during key stretches of the season.
Let’s take a closer look.
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Kelce Reportedly Calls Swift His Good-Luck Charm
Many pro athletes are understandably superstitious. When your entire career can change based on a bad bounce, you’ll take all the help you can get.
For Kelce, that help apparently includes Swift.
According to a New York Post write-up, which cited The Messenger, “He jokes she is his good luck charm.”
But do the stats bear that out?
When Swift showed up at Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs did secure a comfortable win, with Kelce pulling in seven catches for 69 yards and a touchdown. Things were a bit uglier the following week though. At MetLife Stadium, K.C. eked out a 23-20 win over the Jets. No. 87 did his part though, finishing the night with six catches for 60 yards.
For comparison’s sake, let’s consider Kelce’s performances when Swift wasn’t in the house. He looked rusty during Week 2 (remember, the tight end sat out Week 1 following a knee injury), catching four of nine passes for 26 yards and one touchdown. During Week 5, Kelce did suffer an ankle sprain (is that bad luck?) but posted a strong statistical outing. He caught 10 passes, the most he’s snagged this season, for 67 yards and found the end zone after returning from his injury.
What do those stat lines tell you about his luck? You can be the judge.
Swift’s Tour Will Affect Her NFL Availability
If you believe that Swift is Kelce’s good-luck charm, the Chiefs could be in trouble. With the Eras Tour set to resume, the superstar will have some prior commitments.
On November 9, Swift’s South American swing will begin; she’ll be on the continent through November 26. That means she’ll definitely miss two Chiefs games: a heavyweight tilt against the Eagles and a divisional date against the Raiders.
It’s also possible that Swift could be ruled out for K.C.’s November 5 game against the Dolphins. Since that contest takes place in Germany, the extra travel could be inadvisable ahead of a string of nine concerts.
Given the current state of the NFL landscape, the Chiefs will want as much luck on their side as possible for those contests. A victory over the Eagles would provide a psychological boost; beating the Raiders and the Dolphins would help K.C. secure the best playoff seeding possible.
The singer is then available to support the Chiefs through the rest of the calendar year and start of the postseason, before heading to Japan for a stretch from February 7-10. That wouldn’t directly rule Swift out for the Super Bowl (February 11) but it makes it highly unlikely that she’ll be present. Even with the favorable time change, traveling from Japan to Las Vegas in that tight of a window is a major ask, especially when you consider the physical demands of performing.
But then again, if you want good luck for any game, it would be the one that’s for all the marbles.
What if Swift misses the Super Bowl? If the Chiefs make it that far, they’ll simply have to make do with the collective talents of Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and Kelce.
Talk about “champagne problems.”
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.