The dads, Brads and Chads might need to reverse course if they want any hope of the Kansas City Chiefs making the playoffs.
It’s been a rollercoaster of a season for the Chiefs thus far, currently sitting at 5-5 and outside of the AFC playoff picture with a game against the AFC South-leading Indianapolis Colts (8-2) looming at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, November 23.
The disappointing record has coincided with Taylor Swift, the fiancée of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, taking a decidedly more backseat approach to her appearances at games this season.
Not only has Swift chosen to only attend half of the Chiefs games this year, she has largely stayed out of the spotlight inside her suite. When she arrived at Kansas City’s home opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on September 14, Swift allegedly hid behind a moving wall as she made her entrance.
However, here’s the catch: When the biggest pop star on the planet does attend in person, the Chiefs tend to put on a show.
Swift, 35, has been at five games this season, all at Arrowhead, in which the Chiefs have a 4-1 record. Conversely, when she skips out, Kansas City is 1-4.
It begs the question: Do the Kansas City Chiefs need Taylor Swift to get back to playing a pivotal role in Chiefs Kingdom if they want to turn their season around?
Swift was an immediate boon to the Chiefs’ success after she and Kelce, 36, went public with their relationship, as Kansas City won the first four games she attended in the 2023 season.
Overall, the Chiefs were 10-3 in games that featured Swift in the stands, including a 25-22 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – OCTOBER 12: Taylor Swift looks on during the second quarter in the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions at Arrowhead Stadium on October 12, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. Jamie Squire/Getty Images
When the Chiefs began their Super Bowl defense in 2024, Swift was an incredible lucky charm yet again.
Swift attended seven regular season games, all of them wins, and was also on hand for playoff victories over the Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills.
The win streak came to an end, of course, when the Chiefs were demolished by the Eagles 40-22 in Super Bowl LX.
But still, Swift holds a massively impressive 23-5 record in Kansas City games she’s attended in person.
During that stretch, Swift’s presence — which was heavily featured on television broadcasts of Chiefs games — became a lightning rod of controversy for football fans who begrudged quick shots of the pop star at the game interrupting their cherished pigskin.
Swift even addressed the backlash after being named Time magazine’s Person of the Year.
According to the magazine profile, Swift said she is “sensitive to the attention” she receives when she attends games, but wasn’t going to let it influence her.
“I’m just there to support Travis,” she said. “I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads, and Chads.”
With only seven games left on their 2025 schedule, the Chiefs need to turn things around quickly. ESPN’s projection model gives them a 44.6 percent chance of missing the playoffs heading into their game against the Colts.
Kansas City hasn’t missed the playoffs since 2014, Kelce’s first full year in the NFL.
If Chiefs fans want that streak to continue, they might want to ask Taylor Swift to clear her schedule.
