Much had been made of Travis Kelce’s slow start to the 2024 NFL season.
Through the first three games, the elite tight end had gained just 69 yards on eight catches with no touchdowns.
Explanations ran rampant, with many citing his age (he is days away from turning 35 years old) and others even blaming Taylor Swift for making him focus on things outside of football.
There are still concerns, but Kelce alleviated some of them this past Sunday. The tight end had arguably his best game of the season, catching seven passes for 89 yards as the Kansas City Chiefs’ top receiver.
His effort was critical as the Chiefs edged out a seven-point victory to move to 4-0. Kelce’s impressive performance has left supporters asking what happened over those first three weeks and what led to his breakout.
Did Taylor Swift play a role in Kelce’s performance vs Chargers?
Some daring fans have claimed that Swift’s absence from the game led to Kelce’s strong performance. Not only that, but a rumored “breakup contract” may have ignited Kelce’s performance.
While many try to decipher what led to Kelce playing well, there’s a more logical answer that has to do with just football.
The Chiefs lost star wide receiver Rashee Rice in the win over the Los Angeles Chargers. This comes after the team had lost wideout Marquise Brown before the season and running back Isiah Pacheco a couple of weeks ago.
Kelce was basically left as the last man standing, at least of players Patrick Mahomes trusts and has established chemistry with.
Add that the Chargers were without safety Derwin James due to suspension and the defense was dealing with other injuries; and Kelce took full advantage. He will be needed more so than usual with Rice potentially out for a very long time.
