Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce’s relationship with musician Taylor Swift has been a hot topic this season, with opinions flying about whether it’s helping or hurting his performance.
It’s no secret that Kelce hasn’t exactly been himself this season, at least on the stat sheet.
The criticism heightened over the first month of the season. Through Kansas City’s first three games – two of which Swift attended in person – Kelce recorded just eight catches for 69 yards and no touchdowns.
Many pointed out that Kelce looked out of shape and some blamed Swift for taking his attention away from football.
Kelce has played better as the season has gone on. Most importantly, the Chiefs remain at the top of the NFL standings with a perfect 6-0 record as they chase a historic third-straight Super Bowl title.
Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has a whole lot to do with the team’s strong start to the season.
Interestingly, he joined “The Dan Le Batard Show” and was asked about the critics who blame Swift for Kelce’s drop in production.
“I don’t hear it … I don’t feel that – I’m not flipping through the phone trying to figure [out if he’s distracted or not],” Spagnuolo said.
“So, I wasn’t really aware [people were talking about his relationship as a distraction]. Every once in a while, you might hear something, but we don’t worry about Travis.
“Listen, Travis, there’s some guys in all of professional sports that you know when you’re going to need them the most they’ll show up, and that’s Travis.”
No matter how you feel about Taylor Swift, it’s unfair to blame her for Kelce’s struggles. After all, Kelce is a big boy and he makes his own decisions.
If he’s not in peak condition because he’s been partying too much, that’s on him.
If he’s not as focused on football because he spends too much time traveling around the globe, that’s on him.
Regardless, what Spags said is true: At the end of the day, the Chiefs know they can count of Kelce to show up when it matters most.
There’s a reason why Kelce is going to go down as one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history. Despite his high-profile relationship with Swift, he knows how special things are in Kansas City right now.
While they may not be playing their best football, the Chiefs remain the class of the NFL. We know they, and Kelce, will only get better as the season goes on.
Kelce himself has been candid about the scrutiny Swift faces when she attends his games. He acknowledged that the criticism is largely unwarranted, but he’s brushing it off for now.
On his New Heights podcast, Kelce admitted the pressure could ramp up if the Chiefs start losing.
“We’ve just got to keep winning,” Kelce said. “If we lose, it’s going to absolutely f*cking rain down, baby. Just got to keep winning and staying on top.”
What are your thoughts on the whole Kelce-Swift relationship? … Should the Chiefs be worried about his focus level? Or is all of that being way overblown???
