It has been an interesting, unexpected first half of the NFL season. There have been catastrophic injuries to star veteran players like Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins, several teams have underachieved, and there’s a red-hot romance brewing in Kansas City.
Week eight of the NFL schedule featured a stunning upset on the Sunday slate, with the lowly Denver Broncos stunning the world champion Kansas City Chiefs. It was the first victory by the Broncos in the last 17 meetings against their division rivals and comes only weeks after Denver allowed 70 points against the Miami Dolphins.
The Broncos, now 3-5, found their season on the brink of disaster against the Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium before shocking the NFL world by dominating Pat Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the Kansas City Chiefs en route to a 24-9 win, and the biggest upset of the season thus far.
There was one missing ingredient Sunday in Denver. A certain pop superstar was conspicuously absent, and coincidentally or not, the results on the field suffered. Obviously, there is no real connection between Swift’s absence and the disappointment Sunday, but the public address announcer at Mile High ensured that Kelce and the Chiefs felt the sting after the game.
After the final whistle, the in-stadium public address system hilariously played the Swift classic “Shake it Off” as the Bronco cheerleaders danced joyously while the crowd sang along. Social media took notice, and the trolling by the Broncos was a hot topic on X.
Several of the posts read as follows: “The #Broncos are playing Taylor Swift at the stadium after beating the #Chiefs… This is masterclass trolling.” As well as “The Broncos playing Taylor Swift after the win over KC is a flex I actually respect.” A third read: “The Broncos played “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift after beating Travis Kelce and the Chiefs. Pure savagery.”
The Kelce/Swift romance has been the hottest ticket off the field for the league, but many, including future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski, have called for more football and less Swift. While Kelce might be saying, “Why you gotta be so mean,” NFL viewers are bound to be at the saturation point.
If there is any weird correlation between the Chiefs’ struggles and a decided lack of Taylor Swift, Kansas City fans better buckle up. The pop megastar is preparing to take the show on the road as the Eras Tour is set to resume on Nov. 9 in Argentina.
Statistically, Travis Kelce is better when Swift is cheering in the luxury box high above the field. Kelce posted six catches for 58 yards Sunday. That was his lowest total since Week 1, when he also went under 60 yards for only the second time on the year.
Obviously, these stats are anecdotal, and Kelce, Mahomes, and company are more likely than not to rebound next week. However, what if they don’t? What if Taylor Swift is, in fact, the straw that stirs the Chiefs’ proverbial drink?
Taylor has broken hearts and had hers broken, but she has yet to sink an entire NFL franchise. However, with any luck, the Kansas City Chiefs will be the first, and we will all get a new album from Taylor Swift in 2024.
