Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce fans go wild after spotting ‘hickey’ on NFL star’s neck… but Pat McAfee defends pair and says they’re ‘just having fun’

Fans of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce think they saw a “hickey” on the Chiefs star's neck during a recent game.

The couple's relationship has dominated headlines in recent months, with the pop star becoming a regular at his Chiefs games.

Kelce returned the favor by traveling to Buenos Aires to see Swift perform one of her popular Eras Tour shows during his farewell week.

And eagle-eyed fans think they noticed a hickey on Kelce's neck during the Chiefs' game against the Patriots earlier this month, with a red mark on his neck clearly visible in photos and footage.

Swift was present at Gillette Stadium for that game, alongside her father Scott and new girlfriend Brittany Mahomes.

Swift was at Arrowhead Stadium on Christmas Day to see her friend in action

“Taylor left a hickey on Travis???? Queennnnnn,” one fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Another wrote: 'Wait Taylor, give Travis a hickey?!?'.

Sports TV host Pat McAfee made light of it on his show Wednesday morning, saying, “It looked like he had a hickey on his neck.”

“That made me think he and Taylor were just having fun. Sucking necks.'

McAfee and his colleagues then hilariously heard one of them incorrectly say, “His heartbeat is being aspirated, if you will.”

The couple is currently celebrating the holidays together. Swift was at Arrowhead Stadium on Christmas Day to watch Kelce and the Chiefs lose to the Raiders.

It is also believed that she will be in the stands on New Year's Eve to watch him in action against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Kelce – and the Chiefs – battled the Raiders again on Christmas Day, at one point exploding in a fit of anger.

The tight end launched his helmet into the ground before bouncing up and flying into the stands. He also had stern words with coach Andy Reid, who confronted Kelce in an attempt to calm him down.

Kelce seethed during the first half of the Chiefs game and hit his helmet on the ground

Speaking about the incident on the latest episode of New Heights alongside brother Jason, Kelce admitted his antics didn't help the team.

“He (coach Reid) takes care of me and I love him for that,” Kelce said.

“I didn't go back and play well. He wanted to see the fire in me and I reacted negatively.

'He wanted the best from me and at the moment I'm just not playing my best football.

“I have to lock it down and have more responsibility for him and more responsibility for my teammates.

“Gotta keep my damn cool man, because as the leader of this team, that's not how you change momentum.”

At half-time the Chiefs were booed off the field – and it was a far from merry Christmas for the fervent home support at Arrowhead.

They missed an opportunity to capture the AFC West for the eighth straight year with one of their worst performances of the Patrick Mahomes era.