They say all is fair in love and war. Maybe in football too? Ask Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III. And he will not differ.
The 2023 Pro Bowler safety and the Falcons will host the Chiefs on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Bates has had some success against the Chiefs in his career. During his first five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, he is 3-2 (including playoffs) against the Chiefs. Bates had also led the Bengals to beat Kansas City in the 2021 AFC Championship game to advance to Super Bowl 56. Understandably, he would look to further that, and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce might be his easiest target. Why?
Simply because Bates has found the bait for Kelce. And that is none other than Kelce’s high-profile girlfriend, Taylor Swift! At least, that is what Bates revealed in the September 20 episode of the Pacman Jones Show. He issued a tacit warning to Kelce that Sunday’s game might involve some trash talk about Taylor Swift to rattle Kelce.
Host Adam “Pacman” Jones had asked Bates, “There’s a chance Taylor Swift’s going to be in the building when you play the Chiefs and I’m wondering if you guys talk about that before you get on the field is like are you going to Trash Talk Travis Kelce?” Bates’ reply was laser-straight. “Once that clock ticks and we in between those lines, you know, I see red sometimes. I might say some crazy stuff to him. It may involve Taylor [Swift, or] it may not, but it’s just part of the game — talking your little smack,” he said. So will Taylor be there to witness?
“…[T]here are reasons for fans to think it’s possible — and perhaps even likely,” AJC forecasts about the chances of Taylor’s presence. One more hope for the swifties is that the “Lover” has been meticulous about her presence in Chief’s games and in this season so far, she has attended both of the team’s games (vs. the Ravens and the Bengals) where they won. Yes, you figured that out right. Those were home games for the Chiefs, and the Falcons one is their first away game. So what? Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins has the perfect response to this logic.
“I don’t know what she’s going to do. I know she owns a couple private jets, and that is very convenient for getting to things, I’ve learned. So, if she wants to be here, I’m sure she has the logistical means to make that happen,” Cousins said of the 14-time Grammy winner’s possible attendance. Fans have one more reason to chase their “wildest dreams” of finding Taylor in the game.
Taylor is currently on a break from her Eras tour, which kicks back into gear again on October 18 in Miami. So, apart from the means, she also has the time to make it to the gridiron. Understandably, Taylor’s schedules are not revealed in advance for security reasons. Therefore, confirmed news has yet to come. But even if you are not a Swiftie but a Chiefs (Read Travis Kelce) fan, you might want Taylor to be present. Why? Take a look at the stats.
Get set, and hope for Taylor Swift’s charm to work for Kelce and the Chiefs
Well, to put it straight, Travis Kelce’s performances in the first two games have not been impressive. Although the Chiefs came out as winners in both, he has four catches and 39 receiving yards through two games. Travis has even been called out by Stephen A. Smith for this.
“We saw more Taylor Swift than we saw Travis Kelce yesterday on a Sunday afternoon, and any other time that’s applicable. That ain’t supposed to happen yesterday. We supposed to see more Travis Kelce yesterday than we saw her. That’s not happening. You got to get it going, bro. You got 39 receiving yards in the first two games. Come on now, it’s time. Football season is here. Honeymoon’s over. Let’s handle our business,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take. As history tells us, Kelce and the Chiefs handled the business better in Taylor’s presence.
Taylor and Travis broke the internet last year when Swift showed up at the Arrowhead Stadium in Week 3 of the 2023 season. Since then Taylor has rocked with her wildly successful Eras tour and the Chiefs have bagged their second consecutive Super Bowl. Kansas City was 10-3 in 2023 when Swift was at the game, including Super Bowl 58. Not only that, but Kelce also dazzled in her presence.
Kelce put up his best games of the season in front of Swift. Kelce ended up with 89 catches for 1,039 yards (79.9 yards per game) and five touchdowns with Swift watching him. During those games, Kelce averaged 11.7 yards per reception. Here we go:
Week 3 vs. Chicago Bears: Seven catches for 69 yards and one touchdown; win, 41-10
Week 4 at New York Jets: Six catches for 60 yards; win, 23-20
Week 6 vs. Denver Broncos: Nine catches for 124 yards; win, 19-8
Week 7 vs. Los Angeles Chargers: 12 catches (season-high) for 179 yards (season-high) and a touchdown; win, 31-17
Week 13 at Green Bay Packers: Four catches for 81 yards; loss, 27-19
Week 14 vs. Buffalo Bills: Six catches for 83 yards; loss, 20-17
Week 15 at New England Patriots: Five catches for 28 yards; win, 27-17
Week 16 vs. Las Vegas Raiders: Five catches for 44 yards; loss, 20-14
Week 17 vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Three catches for 16 yards; win, 25-17
Wild-card round vs. Miami Dolphins: Seven catches for 71 yards; win 26-7
Divisional round vs. Buffalo Bills: Five catches, 75 yards, two touchdowns; win 27-24
AFC championship game vs. Baltimore Ravens: 11 catches, 116 yards, touchdown; win 17-10
Super Bowl 58 vs. San Francisco 49ers: Nine catches, 93 yards; win 25-22
Quite intriguingly, Kelce’s performance dipped when Taylor was not there. Chiefs still maintained their nice run with a record of 4-2 in the 6 games Taylor did not attend. But in those games, Kelce had 36 catches for 300 yards (50 yards per game) and three touchdowns. That adds up to 8.2 yards per reception. This also includes a game when Kelce had a season-low three catches for 14 yards against the Miami Dolphins in Germany. Not to forget the other one when he had a drop and his lone fumble of the season against the Philadelphia Eagles. Come on Chiefs fans! Pray for Taylor to be present. You have every reason not “To calm down”!
