Taylor Swift Misses Chiefs Star Travis Kelce's Game Against Vikings

Taylor Swift appeared at the last two Kansas City Chiefs games to support rumored boyfriend Travis Kelce. But the 33-year-old singer and songwriter decided to take a week off from NFL action as she did not travel to Minneapolis for the Chiefs game against the Minnesota Vikings. The game aired on CBS, and announcer Jim Nantz confirmed Swift was not at the game. 

In case you're wondering, the seven words I never thought would leave my lips in my career, 'Taylor Swift is not at the game,'" Nantz said during the broadcast, per TMZ Sports. "There are some broken-hearted people I just saw in the stands. She was questionable all week, but it looks like it's officially inactive for today."  

"Seven words I thought would never leave my lips in my career: Taylor Swift is not at the game... She was questionable all week, but it looks like it's officially inactive. "- Jim Nantz pic.twitter.com/En7iKAoBjb

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 8, 2023

For Kelce, the game was challenging and it wasn't because of Swift's absence. The 33-year-old tight end suffered an injury before halftime and exited the game. But after heavily taping his injured right ankle, Kelce returned to the game and helped the Chiefs beat the Vikings 27-20. Kelce finished the game with 10 receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown. 

For the last two weeks, the NFL has focused on Swift and Kelce, which has led to some backlash from NFL fans. When speaking about the coverage on the New Heights podcast, Kelce said the NFL was going overboard when it comes to spotlighting Swift. 

"I think it's fun when they show who was at the game. I think it brings a little bit more to the atmosphere, brings a little bit more to what you're watching," Kelce said. "But at the same time, I think they're overdoing it a little bit for sure, especially my situation. [But] I think they're just trying to have fun with it."

The NFL recently released a statement defending its coverage of Swift and Kelce. "We frequently change our bios and profile imagery based on what's happening in and around our games, as well as culturally. The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce news has been a pop cultural moment we've leaned into in real-time, as it's an intersection of sport and entertainment, and we've seen an incredible amount of positivity around the sport," the statement said. "The vast majority of our content has remained focused on the game, our players and variety of other initiatives, including our Toy Story Funday Football alt-cast, the international games and more."