Travis Kelce Isn’t Playing in the Kansas City Chiefs Season Finale Against Broncos

Football fans and devoted Swifties alike didn’t watch Super Bowl champ tight end Travis Kelce take the field in the Kansas City Chiefs’ final game of the regular season.

Prior to the Chiefs’ Sunday, January 5 matchup against the Denver Broncos, the team’s official X account posted a list of inactive players, which included Kelce and a slew of Chiefs starters.

“Our inactives for today’s matchup,” the Chiefs wrote, highlighting Kelce and his fellow teammates, running back Isiah Pacheco, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, cornerback Trent McDuffie, defensive end George Karlaftis, tackle Jawaan Taylor, and defensive tackle Chris Jones.

Why did the chiefs decide to sit so many starters for the final game of the regular season? The reason behind the decision is a good one — the 15-1 team has already secured home field advantage and a first round bye in the upcoming NFL playoffs. The Chiefs captured the No. 1 seed in the AFC on Christmas Day 2024, after their 29-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In other words, it’s not worth risking their starters’ health on a game that, for the Chiefs, won’t change their playoff standing.

With Mahomes not starting, backup quarterback Carson Wentz was under center at Denver’s Empower Field at Mile High. While speaking to reporters on Wednesday, January 1, head coach Andy Reid said he wasn’t “worried” about sitting his starters.

“I’ve been through that before, so I’m not worried about all that,” Reid explained at the time. “It gives the other guys an opportunity here to grow and you can use everybody.”

Reid, 66, went on to say that the “primary thing is to make sure that we stay sharp in all areas through this game and for the upcoming weeks.”

“We want to stay sharp mentally and physically and then that’s our responsibility to do that and how we manage the time,” he added. “I make sure I do that practice-wise and the guys go out, players and coaches, and work on that.”

Given that the Chiefs’ final game of the regular season was an away game and Kelce did not play, it wasn’t a huge surprise to Swifties and NFL fans that the tight end’s girlfriend, Taylor Swift, was not in attendance.

Rest assured, the pop star is likely to attend more than a few of the team’s playoff games, especially since the road to the Super Bowl goes through Kansas City.