Kansas City Chiefs legend defends Taylor Swift, says she has ‘nothing to do’ with Travis Kelce’s underwhelming performance

More On: taylor swift Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce enjoy romantic New Year’s drive after passionate kiss at NYE party Travis Kelce gushes over girlfriend Taylor Swift after she wears custom Chiefs jacket to New Year’s Eve game Taylor Swift sparkles in silver minidress and celestial accessories on New Year’s Eve Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce ring in 2024 with a kiss at midnight on New Year’s Eve

The debate has been settled.

Kansas City Chiefs legend Christian Okoye says Taylor Swift has “nothing to do” with boyfriend Travis Kelce’s lackluster performance – or for the team’s six losses this season – despite many NFL fans impulsively blaming her.

“Taylor Swift is not on the field,” the former Chiefs running back, who played for the team from 1987 to 1992, told TMZ Sports in an interview published Sunday.

“Travis is playing like he always plays, and teams are just doubling up on him now knowing that our receivers are dropping the balls,” he offered.

“So when you double up on him and [Patrick Mahomes] can’t get the ball to him, it’s a problem.”

Okoye, 62, didn’t deny that Kelce, 34, was catching more passes earlier on in the season. The football tight end successfully caught 54 passes in his first seven games and 36 in his last seven games, per his NFL stats.

11 Travis Kelce is not playing poorly because of girlfriend Taylor Swift, Kansas City Chiefs legend Christian Okoye said in a new interview. Getty Images

11 “Taylor Swift is not on the field,” the former running back said. NFL

Kelce also hasn’t scored a touchdown since the Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles game on Nov. 20 — which Swift missed due to an Eras Tour performance in Brazil.

Follow Page Six’s coverage of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s whirlwind romance

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s dating timeline: From flirting fails to Chiefs power coupleTravis Kelce’s dating history: Meet the Chiefs tight end’s girlfriends and flingsTaylor Swift’s dating history: From Jake Gyllenhaal to Matty Healy

However, Okoye argued that Kelce isn’t doing anything wrong.

“Our receivers, the ones that we have now, if they can work a little harder and get open, maybe Mahomes can have an outlet,” he explained. “But right now, he is not having that outlet.”

11 Instead, Okoye explained that defenses have been “doubling up” on Kelce so he can’t catch the ball. AP

11 Simultaneously, the Kansas City Chiefs’ receivers are “dropping the ball,” he added. AP

Okoye also disregarded the fan comparisons between Swift and Yoko Ono, who was blamed for breaking up the Beatles after she married John Lennon in 1969.

“When you’re doing bad, people have to find excuses and they have to point fingers, especially those who don’t like the situation about Taylor Swift and Travis Kielce,” he noted.

“Those people are pointing fingers and making it up right now. I have to tell you, they’re wrong.”

11 Okoye, who played for the team from 1987 to 1992, also said people are simply looking for someone to blame when they claim Swift had affected Kelce’s performance. Getty Images

11 “Those people are pointing fingers and making it up right now,” he said. “I have to tell you, they’re wrong.” Getty Images

Fans don’t need to listen to Okoye to see that Swift, 34, has not hindered Kelce’s performance — or the Chiefs as a whole, for that matter, despite them losing five of their last eight games.

Per a USA Today report released Friday, the famous tight end was above average in yards for two of the three games that the Grammy winner attended and the Chiefs lost.

Furthermore, the Chiefs’ offense has scored above average in passing and rushing yards for half of the games she has attended. Plus, the Chiefs have won five of the eight games Swift watched in person.

11 In fact, Kelce plays better when the “Anti-Hero” hitmaker is in the stands, according to stats. andrewspruill/Instagram

11 The Chiefs have also won five out of the eight games she has attended. Instagram/patty_cuts

In October, Kelce’s brother Jason Kelce – who plays for the Philadelphia Eagles – even mentioned that Travis’ stats were much better when the “Cruel Summer” songstress was in the stands cheering him on.

“When T. Swift is at the game, you’re averaging 99 yards,” Jason said on their “New Heights” podcast.

“And when you’re left with only your friends and remaining family there, you are at 46.5 yards a game.”

11 Swift and Kelce have been dating since July. GC Images

11 They debuted their romance on Sept. 24 when Swift showed up to cheer him on at his Chefs game against the Chicago Bears. GC Images

Jason also reminded Travis that Chiefs coach Andy Reid even gave Swift a nod while speaking about the Chiefs’ 31-17 win against the Los Angeles Chargers in a post-game interview.

“Kelce is getting better with time,” Reid raved. “Taylor can stay around all she wants.”

Travis was delighted by his coach’s approval, saying, “What a guy. Listen, when you’re getting Big Red’s approval and blessings, you know you’re doing something right.”

11 A person close to the couple previously told Page Six that the couple is “serious” about their relationship. chariah/Instagram

The global superstar and Kelce have been dating since July and proudly debuted their romance when the former showed up to the Sept. 24 Kansas City Chiefs game against the Chicago Bears to cheer her man on.

She has been a regular at Chiefs games with her family and friends — and even Travis’ parents — ever since.

Swift is expected to attend the Chiefs’ next home game at Arrowhead Stadium. The team will face off against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday starting at 4:25 pm ET.

Related Posts

QG Part 1 – (Hindi) Official Trailer | Vivek Kumar Kannan | Sunny Leone | Jackie Shroff | Priyamani

QG Part 1 – (Hindi) Official Trailer | Vivek Kumar Kannan | Sunny Leone | Jackie Shroff | Priyamani The plot centers around a mysterious protagonist who…

Aranmanai 5 – Official Trailer | Sundar.C | Vijay sethupathi | Yogi babu | Hiphop Tamizha

“Aranmanai 5” is a cinematic masterpiece that opens up a world of mystery and suspense with its distinctive blend of supernatural and eerie elements. The story unfolds…

CHUCKY vs M3GAN: Blumhouse Teases Epic Showdown in 2024

Blumhouse Productions has just released the highly anticipated teaser trailer for their upcoming 2024 horror crossover, CHUCKY vs M3GAN. The film brings together two of the most…

The Boy 3: The Curse Continues – Official Trailer Released

The chilling new installment of The Boy franchise, titled The Boy 3: The Curse Continues, has finally unveiled its official trailer for 2024, and it promises to…

WINTER CHAINSAW MASSACRE | Teaser Trailer 2025 | Netflix

𝑁𝑒𝑡𝑓𝑙𝑖𝑥 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑊𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑎𝑤 𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑒 (2025), 𝑎 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑠ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑐𝑦 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒. 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟-𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑡𝑠…

Pathaan 2 – Trailer | Shah Rukh Khan | Salmaan Khan | Hrithik Roshan, Deepika P, YRF Spy Universe p3

Pathaan 2 is one of the most anticipated sequels in the YRF Spy Universe, following the immense success of the first Pathaan film. Directed by Siddharth Anand,…