Winter Storm Awaits Taylor Swift if She Attends Kansas City Chiefs-Miami Dolphins Game

Is Taylor Swift going to tonight’s Kansas City Chiefs game? It’s a question prioritized by Google, as savvy headline writers know, but it’s also a question we never know the answer to until the star appears (or doesn’t) to cheer on her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. However, without any public schedule conflicts (for example, a stop on her currently paused Eras Tour or an appearance at the Golden Globes), her attendance at Saturday night’s playoff game against the Miami Dolphins seems likely. Then again, perhaps Swift will take one look at the shockingly cold weather in Kansas City and decide to just watch from home—that is, if she has the proper streaming service.

It’s true that Swift spent her earliest years on a Pennsylvania Christmas tree farm, but the weather there was never like this. According to the NFL, the temperature at the game’s 8 p.m. ET kickoff is projected to be -6 degrees Fahrenheit, making it “potentially the coldest home playoff game in Kansas City history.” With the wind chill, it’s likely to feel -20 degrees below freezing.

Even Donna Kelce, a football mom who’s spent countless days in frigid stadiums, is bracing for the cold. Her son Travis plays for Kansas City, and her other son, Jason Kelce, plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, which means she has access to the same private boxes we’ve seen Swift enjoy. But still, the suite life can be chilly, she told Extra.

“I will be in the skybox,” she said of Saturday’s Chiefs/Dolphins matchup. “And so it won’t be too cold, but the windows will be open and I am in the first row, so it’s still cold.”

“I have to have a blanket,” the 71-year-old said. “And I’ll have my winter coat on.”

As with everyone else in Swift’s circle (including Swift’s representatives, which Vanity Fair contacted for comment), Kelce refused to confirm or deny the singer’s game plans. “Not doing it,” she said when pressed on Swift by Donald Trump’s sexual assault banter buddy Billy Bush. “I’m not playing that game.”

One person eager to play that game is alleged welfare fraudster and Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre. The former Green Bay Packer told TMZ that fans will term Swift a “distraction” if the Chiefs fail to make it to this year’s Super Bowl. 

“If they don’t win it or get to the Super Bowl, people are going to say, ‘That’s why,’” the ousted Copper Fit pitchman said in reference to Swift. He did not elaborate on how the billionaire singer’s powers extended to an apparent influence over an entire football team.

If Swift fans want to tune in to the game to see if Swift will follow Donna Kelce’s blanket and coat lead, they’ll need more than a pair of rabbit ears to catch the playoff game. Though folks like New York congressman Pat Ryan are furious about the arrangement, the NFL has opted against allowing the game on broadcast television. Instead, the only way to watch will be on NBC streaming platform Peacock, which Ryan calls “a disgrace.”

“Fans already face exorbitant prices to watch every game during the regular season,” Ryan wrote in a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NBC Sports President Rick Cordella. “Millions of fans are looking forward to kicking back and watching their favorite teams play … they don’t deserve to be squeezed even further by greedy corporations.”

Weather permitting, the Kansas City Chiefs will kick off against the Miami Dolphins at 8 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, January 13, for the first game in the NFL’s 2024 playoffs. Live viewing of the game is available only via Peacock.