She didn’t show up in the end. And, for a while, he might as well have stayed at home, too.
There had been few indications all week that Taylor Swift was going to make the long journey south to Sao Paulo to support her fiance Travis Kelce as the Kansas City Chiefs kicked off their season here against the Los Angeles Chargers.
That was until a few hours before kickoff, when Brazilian TV announced that a very special guest would be here, after all. Soon there were reported sightings of Swift at the airport; some fans began tracking helicopters in the area around Neo Quimica Arena.
Alas, she never showed. And perhaps that was for the best. Because if this really is the start of Kelce’s last dance, it was a rather miserable way to start a swansong.
This was supposed to be the night when the Chiefs righted some wrongs from their Super Bowl humiliation by the Philadelphia Eagles. Kelce had a dreadful night in New Orleans and then hinted at retirement. But the tight end, who turns 36 next month, decided he couldn’t go out like that. So Kelce slimmed down and sharpened his focus. He arrived here ready to battle against the dying of the light.
Unfortunately the Chargers forgot to read his script. After four dramatic quarters, Jim Harbaugh’s team held on to win 27-21, ending a skid of seven straight losses against Kansas City and condemning the Chiefs to a damaging loss to start the season.
Travis Kelce suffered a miserable return as the Chiefs lost to the Chargers on Friday night
During the third quarter in Sao Paulo, Kelce was struck in the face by LA’s Teair Tart
The Chiefs tight end did score a touchdown later in the second half but it was in vain
During the first half in particular, Andy Reid’s offense spluttered and his team struggled with discipline. After one of 10 penalties, Kelce’s emotions boiled over. He screamed at Jawaan Taylor and crashed his helmet into his teammate’s.
But it says everything about his own performance that until the fourth quarter, the most damage Kelce had done to either team came on the third snap of the game, when he collided with teammate Xavier Worthy. The receiver left the field with a shoulder injury and never returned.
Perhaps Kelce’s biggest offensive contribution, meanwhile? Getting smacked in the face by Teair Tart not long after halftime. The Chargers defensive tackle was penalized and the Chiefs were awarded an extra nine yards. On the very next play, Mahomes rushed in to score.
All of a sudden, the Chiefs were back in this game – despite Kelce having amassed just one reception for 10 yards. And then, with 12 minutes remaining, the tight end found some space for the first time all night. Mahomes picked him out for a 37-yard score that sent this place into a frenzy. It didn’t last. And up next for the Chiefs? A trip to Philadelphia to face the Eagles.
Kelce had been at the heart of the NFL’s bid to break Brazil this week, ever since he touched down in Sao Paulo and was mobbed at the airport.
In a packed press conference on Thursday, the right end batted away questions about his future but was happy to wax lyrical about his fiancee. And then here, ahead of kickoff, he greeted fans and danced for the crowd and hugged Brazilian soccer star, Neymar. The issue was what followed once the first whistle sounded.
The tight end celebrates with Patrick Mahomes after the quarterback scored a touchdown
Mahomes had a difficult first half as the Chiefs offense struggled as Kelce was largely invisible
Kickoff was just moments away in Sao Paulo when fans were asked to hold pieces of card over their head. Along one side of this stadium, they spelled out a message: ‘Football country.’
That might be rather pushing it – reports suggest this still barely ranks in the top 10 most popular sports in Brazil. But no one in Sao Paulo this week could deny that the NFL is gaining a foothold in South America. The 50,000 inside this arena made one hell of a din.
It helped, of course, that they were treated to such a mouth-watering divisional clash. And that both the Chiefs and Charges served up some early drama. First, Kelce collided with Worthy. Then Justin Herbert led Los Angeles all the way down to the endzone and picked out Quentin Johnston. Seven plays, 68 yards, 7-0.
The Chargers extended their advantage with a field goal early in the second quarter; by then, the Chiefs had amassed just 28 yards and Mahomes had completed only two passes. Their three opening drives ended punt, punt, punt. That has happened just twice before since Mahomes took over as starting quarterback.
But without either Worthy or Rashee Rice – who is serving a six-game suspension – the Chiefs quarterback looked worryingly short of weapons during the first half. Kelce had just one target, while a couple of long throws failed to find their mark and Hollywood Brown was guilty of a dreadful drop.
Kansas City did reach the red zone as halftime approached. But only after rolling the dice – twice – on fourth down. And eventually their luck run out. Mahomes was sacked, so on came Harrison Butker to kick the Chiefs’ first points of the season. Before long, Cameron Dicker had restored the Chargers’ 10-point cushion.
Kelce jigs in front of supporters during the Kansas City Chiefs’ warm-up on Friday night
On just the third snap of the game, Kelce collided with Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy
The Chiefs star greets supporters before the game against Los Angeles in Sao Paulo on Friday
There was just enough time for Kansas City to launch one final, frantic drive. And those 40 seconds became a perfect encapsulation of the Chiefs’ chaotic, stuttering start to this game.
First, Mahomes completed his first deep pass of the game – 38 yards to Tyquan Thornton. That took the Chiefs to the Chargers’ 33-yard line. But then came back-to-back false starts. And what followed next was both comical and ingenious.
A short pass to Noah Gray left the Chiefs on the Chargers’ 40 with seconds remaining. So special teams sprinted on to the field and with the clock about to hit zero, Butker nailed a 59-yard field goal.
That appeared to have shifted the momentum because, with their very first drive of the second half, Mahomes led the Chiefs down the field, Kelce provoked Tart, and his quarterback scrambled home.
But then Butker missed the extra point and the Chargers made him pay courtesy of a touchdown from Keenan Allen. Kelce’s touchdown cut Los Angeles’ lead from eight to two but the Chiefs’ two-point conversion failed and then Johnston scored again to leave the Chiefs in need of a miracle.
Mahomes almost provided one, with a 49-yard pass to Hollywood Brown that took the Chiefs deep into Chargers territory with a shade over three minutes left. A couple of snaps later, Kelce found another slice of space. This time, though, he dropped the ball. This time, the Chiefs ran out of rescue acts.
