Don’t let the national election stop you from noticing that Travis Kelce just set another milestone in all of the NFL’s history. And he did so while his inspirational girlfriend, Taylor Swift, was watching on the sidelines.
Monday night’s match between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers concluded with a 30-24 overtime victory in favor of Kelce’s team. But more than the football team’s victory, Travis had another reason to celebrate after the intense match.
According to NBC Sports, the tight end set a new record for being the oldest NFL player ever to catch 14 passes in a game at the age of 35. Travis beat the record formerly held by the Seattle Seahawks receiver Bobby Engram, who caught the same number of passes in a single game in 2007 when he was 34.
But to be fair, it was only a matter of time before Swift’s beau could secure this milestone since he also managed to catch 14 passes in a game when his team went head-to-head with the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2022 season. The only difference is that he did that when he was 33 years old, making him the second-oldest player to achieve the feat at the time.
Though Kelce’s new record is not unprecedented, it took him a while to warm up to the playing field this season. Earlier in the season, he got plagued by negative headlines as he was said to be underperforming, especially during matches where his girlfriend was a no-show. Speculations even arose that his offseason exploits with Swift were affecting his focus and performance.
This week, a more “inspired” Travis showed up at Arrowhead Stadium, with Sports Illustrated noticing that he seems back to leading his team. All things considered, he reportedly delivered possibly one of the most impressive performances he has ever done in his NFL career. And this is saying without discrediting the hard work of his teammates.
“Everybody just believes at all times that we’re going to get it done. Because we’ve done it in the past, we keep doing it on nights like tonight,” Kelce proudly told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt post-game. “We’re going up that staircase. Hopefully, by the end of this year, man, we’re hoisting another trophy.”
It’s hard to ignore Taylor’s contribution to Travis’ performance on Monday’s match as the twosome have been all loved up since the weekend, especially when Kelce surprised his girlfriend on her final U.S. show in Indianapolis. The lovestruck athlete made a “last-minute decision” to head straight to the venue after his football practice just to show his support for the pop superstar.
And when it was Swift’s turn to reciprocate the sweet gesture, she did not let her man down. She watched Kelce’s latest match in person despite her exhausting three-night concert over the weekend. The “Cruel Summer” hitmaker was even captured on camera cheering for her boyfriend and his team while donning a Chiefs jacket. If that does not scream genuine love and support, then I don’t know what is.