Getty Taylor Swift cheers for boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on December 31, 2023.
The Buffalo Bills are ready to finally host Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes at a game played before fans at Highmark Stadium — but it was another high-profile visitor getting all the attention before the contest.
A video video showed Taylor Swift’s arrival before the January 21 playoff game between the Bills and Chiefs, with the singer and her boyfriend’s family arriving with a motorcade and a police escort. Swift has been dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and attended many of his team’s games this season, and Bills fans were ready with a mostly warm welcome — along with some boasts and a bit of trolling from one young fan.
‘Bad Blood’ Singer Ready for Playoff Game
A video shared on X by News 4 Buffalo showed Swift exiting a white SUV outside the stadium and making her way toward the entrances for the suites. Many Bills fans cheered at her arrival, with some capturing video as the motorcade made its way through the parking lots that surround the stadium.
Taylor Swift walked right past me.
The Blank Space between was maybe a foot or two.
Pretty cool.
Others were ready to poke fun at the singer. As she walked into the stadium, a young fan held out a picture of the “distracted boyfriend” meme, which originally showed a man looking at another woman while walking with his girlfriend. The young fan’s version instead showed Swift walking with Kelce while turning her head to look at Bills quarterback Josh Allen instead.
YOOO this kid is legendary! Held the Josh Allen meme up at Taylor Swift as she walked in and she looked. 😂 #BillsMafia
The image caught some viral attention, with some noting that the picture had originally made the rounds when the two teams met earlier in the season.
While the reception for Swift was mostly positive from a fanbase known for their passion, at least one fan used her arrival as a chance to warn about what could be coming for the Chiefs in the game. The fan yelled “Bills by a billion,” though the singer was ready with a quick response of her own, blowing a kiss in the fan’s direction.
“bills by a billion” *BLOWS KISS* I LOVE HER LMAO
The stadium staff had already prepared for Swift’s arrival, introducing a series of food items with Swift-themed names including Bad Blood Waffle Fries and Karma Quesadilla.
New Territory for Chiefs
Swift is not the only one who will be dealing with Highmark Stadium fans for the first time. Mahomes has never played a true road game in the playoffs in his career, and his only other trip to Buffalo in his career came in 2020 in a game played before an empty stadium due to COVID restrictions.
In an interview during the season, Mahomes said he was looking forward to visiting all the stadiums he had missed and knew he was going to be in for a hostile experience in Buffalo.
“I’m excited to be able to hit every stadium and then some of the stadiums I hit during the COVID year like Buffalo and New Orleans,” Mahomes said, via the Kansas City Star. “I mean obviously I was glad that I got to hit them during the COVID year and the fans weren’t in the stands, but I want to see what it’s like to be in that type of environment.
“I mean I know it’ll be hostile and it’ll be tough for us, but it’d be cool for new experiences.”