According to BetMGM, Travis Kelce has six times as many bets on his player props this week as he did last. He gained more than 300,000 Instagram followers. He even got Bill Belichick to reveal that he pays attention to pop culture.
You might be sick of the Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce romance … but you also might just be saying that out loud and secretly refreshing The Messenger (which broke the dating story weeks ago) every 30 minutes for confirmation that she’ll be attending this week’s game at MetLife Stadium. If you fall in the middle, you will enjoy this column by our Richard Dietsch on how a TV broadcast weights too much Swift vs. not enough.
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The Chiefs are 9.5-point favorites against the Jets; you’re going to need that supplemental burst of gamification to truly enjoy the game — especially if you don’t have a lot of their players in fantasy (although our John Laghezza is urging you to pick up Rashee Rice).
We worked up a set of Kelce/Swift props that are easy to follow for anyone watching the game, from a Swiftie to a Kelce-ie. Print them out, pass them around, and embrace this beautiful love story with us.
1. Will Taylor Swift be at the game?
- YES -50000
- NO +500
Front Office Sports is reporting Swift will be in attendance. And why wouldn’t one of the biggest pop stars in the world travel to New York (and New Jersey, fine) for a weekend of fun and football? The weather is expected to be sunny and clear with a low of 61 degrees on Sunday — perfect for a day of pumpkin picking and Sunday Night Football!
2. Who will Taylor Swift be sitting next to?
- Travis Kelce’s mom, Donna -125
- Brittany Mahomes +300
- Sandwiched between Brittany Mahomes and Donna Kelce +2500
- Aaron Rodgers +7500
We know it was the hapless Bears on the other side of Kansas City’s win last week with Swift in attendance, but why mess with superstition? Swift next to Donna Kelce means wins! And screwing with momentum and good vibes could lead to Tony Romo-on-a-beach and Giants-on-a-boat flashbacks.
3. Will Taylor Swift be wearing a Travis Kelce jersey?
- YES +800
- NO -50000
Taylor Swift is not a jersey wearer. Note: This bet is voided if it is an altered jersey or shirsey.
4. Will Travis Kelce have a minor injury that makes him hop off the field in pain, causing the cameras to immediately go to a reaction shot of Swift with a look of concern on her face and hands over her mouth?
- YES +550
- NO -1000
It’s an oddly specific scenario, but Kelce did miss the opener with an injury. And how else would a concerned ladyfriend react to an injury?
5. Will Taylor Swift play a surprise concert somewhere in New York City over the weekend?
- YES +800
- NO -50000
This question would, in an alternate universe, be about Swift making a cameo on “Saturday Night Live,” and that would’ve had very good odds on “yes.” But the writers’ and actors’ strikes have the show on hiatus. Will she show up on Fox 5’s “Good Day New York”? Probably not. So, we pivot to an unlikely, yet plausible surprise concert — maybe an acoustic set of five songs at a random downtown venue at 1 a.m. Saturday night/Sunday morning.
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6. How many times will the broadcast cut back to Taylor Swift?
- 1-3 +400
- 4-6 -410
- 7-10 -275
- 10+ +200
We could go back and watch last week’s game to get an idea, but a) we have lives, and b) the focus on her will be magnified 10 times seeing as how the story took off this week.
7. How many commercial breaks will have Taylor Swift songs?
- 0 +250
- 1-3 -3800
- 4-6 -1050
- 7-9 -110
Get ready for a barrage.
8. Will footage be shown of Taylor Swift’s summer concert at MetLife?
- YES -2200
- NO +350
“Last time Taylor Swift was here at MetLife …” is too easy for those game lulls.
9. Will Matthew Berry work Swift lyrics into his pregame on-air appearance?
- YES -4500
- NO +300
Berry is a pop culture guru who has written about going to a Taylor Swift show (and has become a fan). There is no way he doesn’t slam this lob with force.
10. Will someone on “Football Night in America” admit they didn’t know who Taylor Swift was before this week?
- YES +700
- NO -2500
This is really “Does Tony Dungy know who Taylor Swift is?” My guess is he knew who she was before show prep and meetings began this week; Dungy may be old school, but he has 11 kids, and that seems like an impossible task to somehow avoid knowing who Swift is.
11. Will Taylor Swift be caught publicly holding Kelce’s hand at any time after the game?
- YES +130
- NO -210
We need actual holding with intent, not just a casual “brush against as we stride together closely” moment.
12. Will there be online rumors that Swift snuck in or out of the stadium in a comically large piece of vending equipment?
- YES -210
- NO +130
Last week’s theory has since been debunked, but please watch this video:
13. Will the halftime or postgame on-field interviews mention Taylor Swift?
- YES -1100
- NO +150
There seems like no way that even an innocuous question after the game — like, “Isiah (Pacheco), what will you remember most about this victory where you set a Chiefs single-game rushing record and scored four touchdowns?” — will be followed by, “T-Swift up in the skybox cheering for us! My niece loves her!”
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14. If the Jets have a good game, will any player or coach attribute their success to Taylor Swift being there in the press conferences?
- YES -800
- NO +450
Here’s the most probable scenario: Zach Wilson has a career game and attributes her presence to his performance, suggesting that “maybe he should see if Selena Gomez is available!” (According to TikTok, she is!)
@selenagomez♬ original sound – Celybird15. How many commenters will complain that this is not the content they pay for, despite us whipping this up as a collaborative effort in 45 minutes when we’d otherwise be off because we have to work all weekend?
- 10-20% -310
- 30-50% -110
- You’ve created a situation where if they do, it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy — and maybe they don’t do it to not give you the satisfaction, so this is an unfair quagmire you’ve put us in -2000
Enjoy the game, everyone! And for actual Kansas City Chiefs analysis, there is none better than our very own Nate Taylor!
(Top photo: Cooper Neill / Getty Images)
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