Travis Kelce misses Taylor Swift less as she skips Chiefs game again, raising questions about the couple

Another week of NFL action brought another close win for the Kansas City Chiefs. The two-time defending Super Bowl champions were challenged by the Carolina Panthers in Week 12, but they came through a test in Charlotte with some last-second heroics out of Patrick Mahomes and kicker Spencer Shrader, whose 31-yard field goal as time expired gave the Chiefs a 30-27 victory.

The win over Carolina saw Travis Kelce get back on track. The legendary tight end struggled mightily without Taylor Swift in the stands during the Chiefs' loss to the Buffalo Bills the previous week; after posting two catches for eight yards up in New York, Kelce rebounded to catch six passes on eight targets for 62 yards against the Panthers. Though Kelce remains stuck on only two touchdowns for the 2024 season, his boost in production without Swift looking on has raised a few eyebrows around the sport.

Why Swift did not attend Chiefs-Panthers

Swift recently wrapped up her Eras Tour stint in Toronto, Canada and is set to enjoy a mini-break before three concerts in Vancouver will conclude the 149-show global tour. The "Betty" singer-songwriter could have flown down to Charlotte to watch Kelce play, but she had just finished her sixth and final show in Toronto on Saturday night -- and it would have been an awfully quick turnaround to head to North Carolina for a 1 p.m. Eastern start at Bank of America Stadium.

So instead, Swift continued her season-long theme of not watching the Chiefs play away from Arrowhead Stadium. She flew to her home in Nashville, Tennessee, where she figures to rest for a few days before joining Kelce and the Chiefs when they host the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday.

However, any speculation that Swift's absence from Chiefs road games has something to do with Kelce appears to be off the mark. According to Us Weekly, Swift and Kelce are poised to take their romance "to the next level" once the Eras Tour finally concludes on Dec. 8. An insider has told the outlet that the couple remains firmly committed to one another, and that Swift is ready for her "next era" with Kelce by her side.