What Taylor Swift Was Really Saying When ESPN Showed Her Yelling at the TV During Broncos-Chiefs

Travis Kelce and the Chiefs kicked off their 2026 season at home on Monday night and they looked pretty darn good in a 31-10 win over the Broncos. The veteran tight end had three catches for a team-high 71 yards and his big play in the third quarter had everyone at Arrowhead Stadium feeling like they had gone back in time a bit as he took a short pass from Patrick Mahomes and ran 59 yards downfield to set up an eventual field goal for Kansas City.

Speaking of Kelce, his wife, the legendary Taylor Swift, was in attendance for the home opener. She had a viral moment late in the second quarter when the ESPN broadcast showed her yelling at a TV screen, which led to a lot of people speculating online about what she was saying in that moment. And you might find this crazy, but a lot of those fans got it wrong.

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This all happened after Kelce caught a six-yard pass in the final minute of the second quarter. Swift then popped on the screen and some thought she was yelling for ESPN to not show her on TV.

“Don’t show me, don’t show me, Get off of me”

Was Taylor Swift unhappy with the camera cutting to her tonight? pic.twitter.com/LBiP54YgmA
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 15, 2026

But that wasn’t the case. Mirror US Sports had a professional lip-reader break it down and they said Swift was actually yelling: “Oh, he’s open. He’s open. Get off of him, geez.”

That makes a lot more sense because she was watching the play and Kelce was in fact open and made the catch before being tackled for the short gain.

Swift has been to a ton of Chiefs game since the beginning of her relationship with Kelce and has often been shown on broadcasts rooting on the team from her suite. Some fans have been annoyed by the quick shots of Swift during games, which led to the false narrative that was widely shared online during Monday night’s game.

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Swift was shown again later in the broadcast after Kelce’s electric 59-yard catch in the third quarter. She could be seen celebrating with Kelce’s mom, Donna, and his brother, Jason.

TRAVIS KELCE GETS LOOSE.

TAYLOR SWIFT IS LOVING IT 👏

(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/6HUkkWYwWv
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 15, 2026

Swift was also seen chatting with Tom Cruise earlier in the game.

Taylor Swift and Tom Cruise in the house for MNF

DENvsKC on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/59S027XB8M
— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2026

What Patrick Mahomes had to say after the win

It was a big night for the Chiefs as it marked the return of Mahomes who was playing in his first game since suffering a devastating knee injury in a Week 15 loss to the Chargers last season. He completed 15-of-27 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for a score in the win.

This angle of Patrick Mahomes' first TD back from injury 🔥 pic.twitter.com/orEXDPzZ8W
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 15, 2026

"I just wanted to play," Mahomes said after the game. "I've done so much rehab and so much work to put myself in this position. I just wanted to get out there and play. That's what you do it for. My guys around me kind of helped me. Whenever I felt like I didn't play my best football, we were still able to go out there and beat a really good football team pretty well. It's because the guys around me stepped up and knew that they're going to have to help me as I get back into the rhythm of things."

"I just wanted to play." 🗣️

Patrick Mahomes reflects on his first game back. pic.twitter.com/N7ZTQtxVPM
— ESPN (@espn) September 15, 2026

The Chiefs, and possibly Swift, will be back on national television Sunday night when they host the Colts in Week 2.

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