Rob Gronkowski praises Travis Kelce for his NFL success
Gronk doesn’t believe Travis Kelce’s football game is being affected at all by his life “distractions”.
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The NFL season kicks off tonight with the Kansas City Chiefs raising their championship banner in Arrowhead Stadium as they prepare for an AFC championship game rematch against the Baltimore Ravens.
The Chiefs enter the season as Super Bowl favorites, expected to win their third in a row, which would make them the first team in NFL history to accomplish such a feat. Taylor Swift fans are certainly expecting another championship. After all, how can the Chiefs lose when they have the entire T-Swift fandom behind them? Well, maybe the Chiefs aren’t as good when Taylor Swift is in attendance. Perhaps her presence serves as a distraction to an otherwise remarkable team.
How good have the Chiefs been exactly with Taylor Swift in the crowd?
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The Chiefs’ record with Taylor Swift in attendance was an astonishing 10-3 (6-3 in the regular season) last season with losses against the Packers, Bills, and Raiders. Considering the Chiefs went 11-6 in the regular season, and 4-0 in the postseason, that means the Chiefs went 5-3 without Taylor Swift in the crowd. The Chiefs were a far better team when Swift was present. However, that 10-3 record (.769 win rate) isn’t particularly outstanding for the Chiefs.
In the five seasons Patrick Mahomes took over as the starting quarterback for the Chiefs before 2023, Kansas City finished with a better win rate in the regular season twice. In the regular season, they’ve finished with a better win rate every other year.
Obviously, all that matters for Chiefs fans is winning the Super Bowl, and it’s impossible to be better than a 4-0 record. Even if Kansas City maintained their regular season win rate with Swift in the crowd all of 2024, they’d still finish the regular season with 11 or 12 wins, more than enough to get them into the postseason — where Swift’s attendance has seen them go unbeaten.
The Chiefs are 5-2 at Arrowhead with Swift in attendance. When playing on the road or at a neutral site, the Chiefs are 5-1 with Swift in the crowd.
During an interview with TODAY, Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt told reporters he wasn’t sure if Swift would attend tonight’s game against Baltimore, let alone where she would be sitting. “I’m sure the TV cameras will find her,” Hunt said.
While Hunt’s answer does not lend any information regarding Swift’s whereabouts, Swift’s current schedule is more empty than usual, making it more likely that she attends tonight’s game. Swift is currently on a two-month hiatus from the Eras Tour, which is set to resume Oct. 18 in Miami. Her next major event isn’t until Sept. 11, when the VMAs are held in New York City.
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It’s well-known that 2023 was the least-productive season for Kelce in a long time. However, he was still a monster pass-catcher for Kansas City, racking up 6.8 catches and 79.9 yards per game when Swift was in the crowd. In total, he recorded 89 catches, 1,039 yards, and five touchdowns in 13 games with his girlfriend watching him.
He averaged only six receptions and 50 yards per game when Swift wasn’t in attendance. That said, he did score three touchdowns in just six games without Swift in the stands, a higher touchdown rate than when Swift was watching him.