Stephen A. Smith fires subtle shots at Travis Kelce over girlfriend Taylor Swift’s presence at Chiefs-Bengals game

Travis Kelce had just one reception for five yards in the Chiefs' 26-25 victory over the Bengals.

Stephen A. Smith fires subtle shots at Travis Kelce over girlfriend Taylor Swift’s presence at Chiefs-Bengals game

Taylor Swift, Stephen A. Smith, and Travis Kelce (Image Credits: via IMAGO)

The Kansas City Chiefs had a bitter-sweet victory against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night. The reigning Super Bowl champions won the game 26-25, and had it not been for the pass interference by Daijahn Anthony, the game would not have gone in their favor.

One of the more concerning aspects of the Chiefs’ victory against the Bengals was the effort of Travis Kelce. The star-tight end was nowhere to be found last night. He just had one reception for five yards. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith called Kelce out for his disappointing performance on First Take.

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Stephen A. Smith expressed his frustration with Kelce by stating his girlfriend Taylor Swift had a more impactful presence at the game than he did.

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We saw more of Taylor Swift than we saw of Travis Kelce, on a Sunday afternoon. Any other time that's applicable, that ain't supposed to happen yesterday. We're supposed to see more of Travis Kelce than we saw of her.
Stephen A. Smith said

Apart from his one reception, Kelce did not help his team in any other way. Viewers were able to see Taylor Swift cheering in the stands on numerous occasions, which is not how it is supposed to be.

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Apart from Rashee Rice, none of the receivers on the Chiefs fared well against the Bengals

Stephen A. Smith further pointed out Travis Kelce’s stats so far this season. The tight end had four receptions for 39 yards. Compare that to his stats through the first two games of the last season, he had 11 receptions for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns.

You got to get it going bro, you got 39 receiving yards in the first two games, come on now, football season is here, honeymoon's over. Let's handle our business.
Stephen A. Smith said

His performance so far this season has been concerning and, naturally, his relationship with Taylor Swift will get the blame for his performance.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce
Stephen A. Smith is concerned Travis Kelce’s relationship with Taylor Swift is distracting him from football (Image via IMAGO)

Considering the amount of media attention that their relationship garners, a bad performance on the part of Kelce will result in their relationship bearing the brunt of the criticism. It was not just Kelce who failed to show up last night.

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The Chiefs’ receiver core was unable to get going through the night. Apart from Rashee Rice who had 75 yards for five receptions and one touchdown, the other weapons on offense failed to have a significant impact on the offense.

Xavier Worthy, who has high expectations riding on his shoulders, ended the game with 17 yards on 2 receptions. This comes after Bengals corner Cam Taylor-Britt called him out before the game and dismissed him as being nothing more than a receiver who merely has speed and nothing else. If the Chiefs intend to three-peat, they will need to turn things around quickly.