Travis Kelce is experiencing his worst start to the NFL season ever. The Chiefs tight end had just four receptions for a measly 30 yards against the Falcons on September 22, 2024, sparking a viral “Sad Travis” meme. One person who was notably absent from Travis’ shocker was his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, who’s been at the two previous games while on a break from her Eras Tour.
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One fan on Twitter observed that Travis “looked like he was ready to cry” while sitting on the sidelines. Another said, he “looks absolutely DONE,” with video footage of him looking forlorn and wiping away sweat (or tears, we’re not sure).
Why wasn’t Taylor Swift at the Chiefs, Falcons game?
The simple reason is that Taylor was in New York City for a night on the town with bestie Gigi Hadid, reportedly having dinner at The Corner Store on Broadway. It’s the first game she’s missed all season and was a regular fixture last year, so it is a little puzzling (obviously no “official” explanation for her absence has been given, though, you know, couples are allowed to spend time apart).
Onlookers were equally puzzled by the tight end’s lackluster performance on the field. “I’m just flabbergasted,” analyst Cris Collinsworth said in the second quarter. “I mean, one game, big deal. Two games, alright. This is the third game now where we have not seen the magic of Mahomes and Kelce. And I can’t really explain that one.”
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes tried to downplay the situation. “The respect factor they have for Travis is just unreal,” he told the media in the post-game press conference. “It’s well-deserved. But I mean, we’re calling a lot of plays for Travis and it’s like two or three people are going to him.”
He continued, “He understands. I think that’s the great thing about him. He wants to make an impact on the game, but he wants to win at the end of the day. I’m going to try to keep doing my best to keep feeding him the ball whenever he’s there, whenever he’s open.”
During the September 18 episode of his New Heights podcast, Travis explained how he doesn’t care so much about stats anymore. “For whatever reason, these past two games it hasn’t gone that way for me. That’s football, man. I’m not about to sit here and get frustrated about it,” he said.
“I used to get really, really pissed off and almost lose my cool a lot of the time from not having that success knowing I demand that out of myself. I just like to play the game to such a high level of accountability that it’s tough for me to deal with me being mediocre or having stats that represent that.”