The anticipated game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs might be even more thrilling than their last face-off. November 20th, 2023 marks their rematch. The Chiefs successfully beat the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII in February, the final score showing as 38-35.
Regular season games are undeniably expected to be less emotional than that of the Super Bowl, being that the teams are not competing for the very top spot- not yet, anyways. However, there is still a smidge of emotion, considering that brothers Jason and Travis Kelce are facing off against each other once again for the first time since the Eagles’ tragic loss.
Both athletic siblings play a key role in their teams successes, Jason Kelce being a center for the Eagles, and Travis Kelce a tight end for the Chiefs. Eagles and Chiefs fans alike are pondering whether Donna Kelce, their mother, will bring back her iconic half-Eagles, half-Chiefs jersey.
Fans are also anticipating the presence of pop star Taylor Swift, who recently made her relationship with Travis Kelce public. The significance of Taylor attending this game is extremely prevalent, bearing in mind that she grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania, a town just outside of Philadelphia. This is clearly an ironic situation, yet it is unclear who Taylor will be rooting for.
Jason and Travis grew up in Ohio, a mere two years apart in age. Jason was born on November 5th, 1987, while Travis was born on October 5th, 1989. Their close age resulted in a rocky relationship.
The sibling rivalry was all too existent, however it certainly doesn’t undermine the close relationship between the brothers. Travis once told NFL Films, “I think the competitiveness that we had growing up is very big on why we’re even in the NFL in the first place.”
The brothers played football and baseball throughout high school. Travis played basketball in the winter, while Jason played hockey. Jason ended up playing football at the University of Cincinnati as a linebacker, but soon became an offensive lineman. Two years later, Travis decided to follow in his brother’s footsteps and play football at Cincinnati.
The brothers’ history of competitiveness merged over the years with admiration. In 2009, Travis failed a drug test, which got him kicked off the team. He was able to get back on the team, but only with Jason’s help. They always looked out for each other, despite the occasional sibling bickering..
Jason was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft as an offensive lineman. NFL fans doubted him, but soon after, Jason became a record-breaking starting center going on 12 seasons now. He became the highest-paid center in March 2022 after he signed a $14 million contract with the Eagles.
Travis was drafted by the Chiefs in 2013 in the third round of the NFL Draft. The coach who drafted him to the Chiefs, Andy Reid, was his brother Jason’s former coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Travis has spent 10 seasons with his team, and is considered by ESPN to be one of the top tight ends to ever play, and one of the best NFL players ever.
Travis has worn the number 87 for the entirety of his football career for his big brother. He chose that number in honor of Jason’s birth year, 1987. In an interview with NFL Films, Travis exclaimed, “If there is a Kelce legacy, two brothers making it to the NFL, it all started in 1987 because this big guy was born in 1987.”
Being that the brothers are two of the best players in the league, it’s no secret that their family and friends are going to have a difficult time trying to figure out who to root for, as it was in the Super Bowl.
There has been widespread debate across the internet over whether she is an Eagles fan or not, but true fans know about Taylor’s Philadelphia rooted background. She even confirmed her support of the team in May, when she performed at the Philadelphia Eagles’ home stadium: “I don’t know how large the debate was, but I did see the debate… I have a lyric that says, ‘With my Eagles t-shirt hanging from the door.’ I saw some people wondering if it was the band the Eagles or the team the Eagles, and I love the band the Eagles, but guys, come on. I’m from Philly. Of course it’s the team.”
Travis Kelce attended Swift’s Eras Tour on July 8th. Just weeks later he took a chance by explaining in an interview that he wanted to give Taylor Swift a friendship bracelet with his phone number on it, but was unsuccessful. In September, rumors had begun to circulate that Taylor and Travis had been seeing each other, yet Travis was refusing to address rumors. The sports community kept prying.
In another interview on September 21st, Kelce commented, “I told her, ‘I’ve seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead, you might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead.’ We’ll see what happens in the near future.” Three days later, Swift attended his game against the Chicago Bears, alongside his mother, Donna. After the game, she was spotted departing in Kelce’s convertible. Since then, Taylor has attended his games on October 1st, October 12th and October 22nd.
She seems to have made friends with quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ wife, Brittany Mahomes, and often brings her friends to games. The most notable appearances so far have been Blake Lively, Hugh Jackman, Selena Gomez, and Sabrina Carpenter, Swift’s current show opener for the international leg of the Era’s Tour.
Fans joke that Taylor’s presence has caused the Chiefs to win their games. However, many NFL fans have complained that the coverage of Taylor Swift’s presence at the games is ‘too much’. Between the camera cutting to Swift’s reactions of plays during games and her presence on their social media, it is no doubt that Taylor is the main topic of conversation in the NFL at the moment.
Given Taylor’s history with the Eagles, and her recent connection to the Chiefs, many NFL fans are hoping that she won’t attend the game on November 20th. Their fear is that the cameramen and announcers will cover Taylor more than they cover the game.
Eagles player Darius Slay joked in his podcast, “If we play her, when we play her, I know we play them (on the road), Taylor, do not come to the game. Do not come to the game because you seem like you bring the energy of winning.”
The Eagles will be traveling to Kansas City for the Monday night football game. The matchup is significant for reasons that extend beyond the Kelce clash, Andy Reid versus his own team, the rematch of Super Bowl LVII, and a potential Taylor Swift appearance. The game is going to feature the two leading teams in the NFL: the Eagles are 8-1 and the Chiefs are 7-2.
Kansas City is 4-0 against Philadelphia since Andy Reid switched to the Chiefs in 2013. Both of the teams will be coming back from 15-day breaks, so the expected performance is unpredictable. The Chiefs’ offense has been struggling, while the Eagles have been taking win after win with little to no struggle.
Travis Kelce will pose a challenge for the Eagles’ middle defense, given their recent struggles against tight ends. The Eagles’ pass rush, led by Josh Sweat and Haason Reddick, is aiming to pressure Patrick Mahomes, who has been elusive but not immune to hits. The Eagles’ top run defense is looking to limit Isiah Pacheco, while Cam Jurgens and Landon Dickerson need to handle Chris Jones, the standout of the Chiefs’ defense.
Jalen Hurts will face a formidable Chiefs secondary, and exploiting matchups against the third cornerback are predicted to become crucial. D’Andre Swift is aiming to capitalize on the Chiefs’ vulnerable run defense after the Eagles’ recent struggles in the ground game.
The worlds of sports and entertainment have collided this NFL season, bringing people together, while tearing others apart. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Swift and Kelce’s relationship, some saying that it is purely for the sake of PR, given the NFL’s aggressive coverage of Taylor Swift whenever she attends games. Others argue that Taylor can’t control the media.
Of course, Taylor and Travis’s relationship will be covered; they are both the best in their fields, and the relationship is not private by any means. It can be compared to the relationship between Swift and Joe Alwyn, who were together for six years and had a very private relationship, as conveyed heavily in her songs. The contrast has led the public to wonder who really wanted to keep the relationship on the down low? It doesn’t seem like Taylor did, unless this really is a new ‘era’!
On the other hand, the clash has brought some families together, teaching those who are generally uninterested in football or music Swifties who weren’t interested in football prior to Taylor and Travis have been watching games, and some football fans have developed a sense of respect for Taylor Swift’s career since she started dating the NFL star. Whether intentional or not, the relationship is a spectacular promotion for the NFL and music industry.
It has recently been reported that Taylor’s parents will be attending the game alongside Travis’s parents. This is said to be the parents’ first time meeting, which has brought loads of anticipation upon the worlds of football and music.
It won’t be the first time that Travis has met her parents, though. On November 11th, Taylor performed at the international leg of the Eras Tour in Argentina, with Travis in attendance. He was spotted with her father, and Swifties obsessed over her adorable interactions with Kelce. During her song “Karma”, she changed a lyric in honor of her boyfriend’s attendance: “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs.” After the show, the pair met up, running excitedly to kiss each other.
Fans are eagerly anticipating the interactions between the Kelce brothers, Swift and Kelce, the two families, and everyone up in the booth. They are also looking forward to seeing who Taylor and Donna will be rooting for, the friends she brings to the game, Reid’s reunion with his old team, and of course the outcome of the game itself. Culturally, this is an extremely exciting game. Whether it brings people together or not is up for debate.
