The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Chicago Bears 41-10 on Sunday in a week 3 NFL matchup that continued the team’s quest to win back-to-back Super Bowl titles.
While the Chiefs and several players put up strong stats during the game, the star of the game to many viewers, reporters and at least one player was a person not playing in the game.
What Happened: After weeks of rumors of a potential relationship between Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and music superstar Taylor Swift, an appearance by the singer at the game seemed to turn the rumors into reality.
News that Swift was going to attend the home Chiefs game circulated across the media on Sunday ahead of the game which aired on Fox, a unit of Fox Corporation FOXFOXA for many viewers across the nation.
While NFL fans who wanted nothing to do with the storyline were likely telling social media and writers “You need to calm down,” many Americans and viewers dove into the story and are ready to see a full-blown romance bloom.
Swift was seen in a box with Kelce’s mother and was also caught on camera celebrating when Kelce found the end zone for second touchdown of the 2023 NFL season.
Fox made the decision to switch from the blowout game to a more competitive match between the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals, which led to a later game break to show Kelce’s touchdown and Swift’s subsequent reaction.
Kelce ended the game with a stat line of seven catches for 69 yards and a touchdown along with the team’s win.
Swift and Kelce were seen on camera leaving the game together and were reported to celebrate the team’s win with family and friends at a Kansas City restaurant.
While most players get asked about plays, opponents or something that happened in the game after a win, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes found himself answering questions about Swift and Kelce after the game.
“He told me at the last minute. Some things with Trav, he just says it and you don’t know if it’s true or not, he says it so calmly,” Mahomes said of Kelce informing him Swift was coming to the game.
Mahomes added in the interview that there was some extra pressure to get Kelce a touchdown in front of his special guest: “I knew I had to get it to Trav. I think he wanted to get in the end zone just as much as all the Swifties wanted him to.”
With news of Swift attending the game, several Kelce player props saw strong action ahead of the game with many bettors expecting a big game out of the Chiefs’ star tight end.
The main prop bets were:
- Kelce over 6.5 receptions (-110 odds)
- Kelce over 72.5 receiving yards (-110 odds)
- Kelce anytime touchdown (-120 odds)
Two of the three bets cashed for bettors with Kelce falling short of the yards prop by 3.5 yards. If a bettor bet $100 on each of the three prop bets, they would have turned the $300 into $374.24 for a gain of $74.24 and a 24.7% return.
A bet on just the touchdown prop with Kelce excited to find the back of the end zone would have turned $100 into a profit of $83.33.
Related Link: It's Taylor Swift's World And We're All Just Filming, Reporting It
What’s Next: Before Swift starts the next portion of the record-breaking Eras Tour, the big question will be if she will keep attending Chiefs games.
In week 4, the Chiefs head to MetLife Stadium to take on the New York Jets in a primetime Sunday Night Football game that will air on NBC and stream on Peacock, units of Comcast Corporation CMCSA.
The Chiefs are favored to win the game by 9.5 points at DraftKings Inc DKNG. While the Chiefs are 2-1 and find themselves trending up, the Jets are 1-2 and have lost two straight and are trending down since losing star quarterback Aaron Rodgers to injury.
There are no player prop bets available for the Week 4 matchup against the Jets yet, but Kelce could see plenty of action and look for sportsbooks to capture off the newsy item with some Swift-themed bets around some of her favorite numbers and song titles.
The Chiefs entered the pre-season as the Super Bowl LVIII favorites at odds of +600 and currently rank second with odds of +700, trailing only the San Francisco 49ers.
Mahomes is one of the favorites to win the NFL MVP award at odds of +600 after previously winning the award twice, including in the 2022 season.
For the AP Offensive Player of the Year, Mahomes is listed at odds of +3500 and Kelce is listed with odds of +5000.
The Offensive Player of the Year has a history of going to running backs or quarterbacks with those positions winning 26 and 20 of the 50 awards respectively. Four wide receivers have also won the award with no tight end ever winning the award, but some feel Kelce was worthy in 2021.
The NFL MVP Award has become quarterback-heavy heavy with the position winning the last 10 awards. The Offensive Player of the Year has gone away from quarterbacks in recent years, with only one winning the award in the last six seasons.
Swift is having a record-breaking year, so perhaps Kelce could follow and win some hardware of his own.
Read Next: 5 Key Stocks For 2023 NFL Season
Photos: Shutterstock
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