Any time NFL fans can concoct a conspiracy that demonstrates that the games are fixed, they will, and the Taylor Swift dynamic with the Kansas City Chiefs and her relationship with tight end Travis Kelce is the latest theory.
Swift has attended the two most recent Chiefs games, and the team is 2-0. The first was at Arrowhead Stadium against the Chicago Bears, where they scored over 40 points in a decisive win. In Week 4 on Sunday Night Football against the New York Jets, the Chiefs won 23-20 after leading 17-0.
Part of the controversy surrounding Swift's attendance and games being "rigged" was Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes converting a 3rd-and-22 play with his legs, running straight up the middle.
Is this the worst missed call in nfl history? He held him for about 15 mins. I don?t think the broadcast even made mention of it???
Wow 3rd and 22! Yea it?s easy when you?re blatantly holding pic.twitter.com/uLh7F8AzBp
— KFC (@KFCBarstool) October 2, 2023
To be fair, Chiefs left tackle Donovan Smith is holding Jermaine Johnson quite egregiously to the point where Johnson hits him over the head with his hand. That should've been a holding call, but no penalty was assessed.
The NFL's official X account also put Swift across their header, which certainly isn't a great look.
? | @NFL changed their header and bio today! pic.twitter.com/9L6YfNM9qs
— Taylor Swift Facts (@blessedswifty) October 2, 2023
The header remained the same as of writing.
During the same drive the Chiefs converted that 3rd and 22, there was a holding call on the Jets. As you can see in the clip below, the flag doesn't come out until after Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throws an interception, which was negated after the penalty.
Crazy how the refs didn't throw his flag until he saw the Jets intercept the ball. Weak holding call. #Rigged #KCvsNYJ pic.twitter.com/8rKjitkP1n
— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) October 2, 2023
On top of this, sports bettors watched Mahomes slide just before crossing into the end zone to go up 30-20, which would've covered the spread of 8.5-9.5 points, depending on where you looked.
So many millions of dollars at sportsbooks hinged on this Patrick Mahomes slide pic.twitter.com/GVWCXMmdgt
— Ben Fawkes (@BFawkes22) October 2, 2023
So, with all of this, the NFL is once again drawing a stigma from fans about being rigged. While this is utterly unlikely, that final drive leaves more questions than answers for us to ponder.
