Football season is back already — and so is Swift-spotting season. After making her NFL debut last year, Taylor Swift returned to cheer on her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, as the Kansas City Chiefs kicked off the season against the Baltimore Ravens on September 5. (The broadcasters actually acted pretty normal about it this time!) That was likely the first of many appearances for the season, with Swift having a much lighter schedule as she winds down the Eras Tour. And as Kelce and the Chiefs try to become the greatest in the league again — and make a Super Bowl three-peat for the first time ever — they’ll need all the support they can get.
The New York Post reported on September 6 that Swift’s team is trying to keep her game appearances under wraps a bit more this season. But looking at Kansas City’s schedule, it’s not too hard to parse which games she might be going to. If you’re just watching to get a glimpse of Swift, here’s a game-by-game guide to when she might show up — plus answers to other burning football questions.
vs. Cincinnati Bengals — YES
September 15, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and bleach-haired Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow have had a bit of a rivalry since 2021 — one of Burrow’s ex-teammates even nicknamed Kansas City’s stadium “Burrowhead” after Burrow beat the Chiefs three times in a row. (That’d be like, uh, Billie Eilish shading Taylor Swift after beating her for Song of the Year twice.) That’s no longer the case after Kansas City defeated Cincinnati at home during the 2022 playoffs, but this matchup should still be exciting. Swift won’t want to miss it.
@ Atlanta Falcons — YES
September 22, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Swift loved a prime-time game last year, so count her in for a trip to Atlanta for the Chiefs’ first Sunday Night Football.
@ Los Angeles Chargers — YES
September 29, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Swift was a little choosy with Kansas City’s afternoon away games last year, only attending one in New England. A trip to L.A. shouldn’t be as hard of a sell for the star, though. She clearly loves SoFi Stadium, where she played six Eras Tour shows and shot her movie last year — plus, her celeb friends are certainly already texting her to secure a spot in her box.
vs. New Orleans Saints — YES
October 7, 8:15 p.m. (Prime Video)
Another prime-time game — and this one’s at home, so double yes. Plus, she’ll be in the Saints’ house just a few weeks later when she plays three nights at the Superdome from October 25 through the 27th.
@ San Francisco 49ers — NO
October 20, 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
This Super Bowl rematch, in San Francisco, will be one of the games of the year. But unlike last year, Swift can’t jet over from Tokyo — she’ll have a final show in Miami to get ready for.
@ Las Vegas Raiders — NO
October 27, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Swift watched Kelce and the Chiefs lose an ugly home game to division rival Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas last year. She won’t be there to see them avenge that loss in Vegas this year, though, because she’ll be finishing her Eras Tour stand in New Orleans.
vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — MAYBE
November 4, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Here’s where things get complicated. Swift plays her final show in Indianapolis (and the whole U.S.!) on Sunday, November 3, so she could fly back to Kansas City in time for Monday Night Football. But will she want to? Last year, she only attended one game the day after a show, and it was the freakin’ Super Bowl. The Bucs might be good, but the stakes aren’t that high.
vs. Denver Broncos — MAYBE
November 10, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Swift will be on an 11-day break before she heads to Canada. If she’s spending that not-quite-fortnight in Kansas City, count her in for this division rival game. But don’t be surprised if she heads to Toronto early or just wants to rest in New York, either. This is just two days after Grammy nominations are revealed, and the Grammys are on CBS, so an appearance would be some great marketing.
@ Buffalo Bills — MAYBE
November 17, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
When the Chiefs play the Bills, it’s like Swift and Beyoncé going head to head at the Grammys. Swift may be in the middle of her Toronto run, but curiously, she has a three-day break starting November 17. Buffalo is just a 60-mile flight from Toronto. And she sure had fun in Buffalo during last season’s playoffs. Keep an eye on this one. (And there may be other stars in the building too: namely, Bills QB Josh Allen’s girlfriend Hailee Steinfeld.)
@ Caroline Panthers — MAYBE
November 24, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Swift plays her last Toronto show on November 23, making this another close call — especially since it’s at 1 p.m. the next day. But take it from us, Taylor: You don’t need to see this one.
vs. Las Vegas Raiders — YES
November 29, 3 p.m. (Prime Video)
Did you know there’s football on Black Friday now too? The Chiefs will play the NFL’s second-ever Black Friday game, at home against rival Raiders. As mentioned above, Swift may want to see this one after watching Kansas City lose to Las Vegas last year, especially if she has Thanksgiving plans with Kelce the day before.
vs. Los Angeles Chargers — NO
December 8, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
As the Chiefs kick off against the Chargers at home, Swift will be kicking off her final Eras Tour show ever, in Vancouver.
@ Cleveland Browns — YES
December 15, 1 p.m. (CBS)
A trip to Cleveland for this game will also mean a chance to visit Kelce’s hometown of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, just outside the city. Plus, she’ll officially have no more Eras Tour shows to schedule around.
vs. Houston Texans — YES
December 21, 1 p.m. (NBC)
After the Texans made a surprise playoff run last year, this looks like one of the more competitive games on the Chiefs’ schedule. They’ll need all the support they can get down the stretch of the season, and that includes Swift!
@ Pittsburgh Steelers — MAYBE
December 25, 1 p.m. (Netflix)
Sorry to the Chiefs players who have to spend a second Christmas in a row working just because the NFL wants to conquer more of the TV calendar. Swift attended last year’s Christmas matchup against the Raiders, but that one was at home. This game is out in Pittsburgh. Yes, Swift is from Pennsylvania, too, but it’s more than four hours from the Christmas tree farm to the Steelers’ stadium. She might still decide to spend the holiday supporting her boyfriend, but don’t blame her if she waits to celebrate once he gets home.
@ Denver Broncos — NO
TBD
If the Chiefs are as good as everyone expects this season, they’ll probably have their playoff slot locked up before the final week of the season. And if that’s the case, don’t expect to see much of Kansas City’s stars like Kelce on the field or Swift in the audience.
More “Question … ?”s
Is Kelce going to be good this year?
We’ll see. Last season was his first time in nearly a decade not logging 1,000 yards, and his yards per reception also went down significantly. In other words: Kelce just wasn’t making catches as big as before. To be fair, he was dealing with knee and neck injuries throughout the year. Once the Chiefs got to the playoffs, he became the man once again, logging a career high in postseason receptions. But some are waiting for the near-35-year-old tight end to start declining and wondering if Kansas City may try to conserve his abilities for big games this year (meaning fewer plays for you to see). It may already be happening considering he made just three catches for 34 yards in the Chiefs’ otherwise-explosive game against the Ravens. Kansas City still seems confident about Kelce’s abilities, though, after redoing his contract over the summer to make him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL.
And what’s with that mustache?
Oh yeah, that. It’s an annual tradition for Kelce at the beginning of the season, as a bit of a tribute to Chiefs coach Andy Reid’s iconic ‘stache. “I always do the Andy Reid special, baby,” Kelce said on a recent New Heights episode. This year, though, Swift did convince him to ditch his usual preseason buzz cut.
Is Swift really going to be spending all that time with Brittany Mahomes?
Yeah, probably.
Wait, is the guy who said those weird things about women still on the team?
Yep. That’d be kicker Harrison Butker, who made headlines for spewing conservative beliefs during a commencement speech in May. (Kelce — boyfriend to a working woman — said he doesn’t agree with “just about any” of Butker’s views but added that he wasn’t going to judge his teammate.) Not only is Butker still in Kansas City, but he’s going to be for a while, after the Chiefs gave him a new contract to make him the highest-paid kicker in the NFL.
And what about the guy who caused that car crash?
Also yep. Wide receiver Rashee Rice is facing eight charges over a six-car crash he caused in March while reportedly street racing with a friend. (He took “full responsibility.”) The NFL said it doesn’t plan to suspend Rice “unless there is a material change” in the car-crash case — likely a ruling or plea deal — so he’ll be playing this season until further notice. And that’s been good news for the Chiefs so far, after Rice racked up over 100 yards against the Ravens last week.
That all sounds messy. Is there any good news?
Remember how Kansas City players kept dropping balls last year? Well, they called those amateurs (Kadarius Toney) and cut them from the team. Kansas City signed a number of new wide receivers who they’re hoping will make their offense much more exciting this year. That includes Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, who’s still getting over a collarbone injury; Xavier Worthy, the fastest player to enter the NFL; and JuJu Smith-Schuster, who you may know from TikTok.
So, are the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl again?
They’re certainly trying to! But while a handful of teams have won two Super Bowls in a row, no one has ever won three. The Chiefs might be in prime position. Not only does their offense look better than last year, but they still have a top-tier defense and one of the best football coaches ever. We’ll see come January and February if they have the alchemy.
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