Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid are seen boarding team bus ahead of game against Minnesota Vikings… but Taylor Swift’s whereabouts remain a mystery ahead of kickoff

Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid were seen boarding the team bus to head to US Bank Stadium for Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings, but Taylor Swift was mysteriously absent before the 4:15 p.m. EST kickoff.

Wearing a partially unbuttoned white silk shirt and brown pants that might have been velvet, the mustachioed Kelce loaded onto the team bus to Minneapolis, where they hope to win their fourth straight game.

The team is 2-0 with Kelce’s new girlfriend, Swift, in the crowd.

She was in attendance at Sunday’s game against the New York Jets in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where the Chiefs earned a tough 23-20 victory to improve to 3-1. A week earlier, Swift was in Kansas City to watch Kelce score a touchdown in an easy 41-10 victory over the Chicago Bears.

For both games, Swift was pictured in a suite alongside Kelce’s mother, Donna.

Minneapolis gave the Chiefs a mixed reception on Sunday.

A billboard at a local radio station simply read “Beat Taylor’s Boyfriend” on a purple background – the colors of the Vikings.

Another ad from pharmaceutical company Pfizer said “Welcome” with a shirt saying “Mr. Pfizer 87” on the back.

The latter billboard refers to the nickname given to him by injured Jets quarterback and anti-vaxxer Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers gave Kelce that nickname after the tight end began appearing in that company’s commercials for its Covid-19 vaccine.

Kelce has long prided himself on his ability to compartmentalize his personal and professional lives.

This ability has been put to the test in recent weeks.

Since All-Pro Swift’s budding relationship surfaced, Kelce has become a headline act in his own right.

He learned this when paparazzi staked out Swift’s New York apartment last week, capturing the moment he stepped out the morning before the Chiefs played the Jets, while other photographers explored his own residence in the Kansas City area.

“We’re learning with the paparazzi taking pictures everywhere,” Kelce admitted Friday, “but at the same time, it comes with it. You just have to keep living and enjoying the moments.

Neither party has disclosed much about their relationship, and Kelce didn’t go into detail Friday when he spoke to the media for the first time in weeks. But given that Swift appeared twice in a sequel to watch Kelce perform, including alongside her mother Donna Kelce, it’s easy to understand why the focus has been so intense on the duo.

The timing couldn’t be better for either of them.

Kelce turned 34 on Thursday and is much closer to the end of his career than the beginning, and the elevation of his profile will undoubtedly help his post-football career. His podcast with his brother and Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, called “New Heights,” has gained popularity, and Kelce’s mustachioed mug is suddenly appearing in commercials and commercials for everything from State Farm and Hy-Vee to Pfizer and Experian.

Swift is on hiatus from her “The Eras” tour, but a film about it is expected to begin showing in at least 8,500 theaters across 100 countries next week. Theater chain AMC Entertainment Holdings, based in suburban Kansas City, said it sold more than $100 million in advance tickets and generated the highest single-day ticket revenue in its history.

Meanwhile, the NFL and its broadcast partners want to capitalize on the pop culture moment.

When asked if Kelce was surprised by the sudden interest in him and his relationship with Swift, he replied, “It’s global, man – global.” It’s been amplified, that’s for sure.

All the while, Kelce tried to help the Chiefs defend their Super Bowl title. They’ve won three straight after losing their opener to Detroit, and they’re favored to travel to Minnesota on Sunday. (It’s unclear if Swift will be in attendance.)

“I felt like I was on top of the world after the Super Bowl and even more on top of the world now,” Kelce said after practice Friday afternoon. “At the end of the day, I’ve always been pretty good at compartmentalizing and being able to stay focused in this building, so I’m going to continue with that.”

Indeed, Kelce has always juggled a life far from football.

In 2016, he coincidentally starred in his own reality TV show called “Catching Kelce”. He offered many products and services. And he has participated in many high-profile golf tournaments, such as a televised match alongside Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes against the NBA’s Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry just before this season started.

Yet none of this ever affected his performance. Kelce had never missed a game with injury since his rookie season before a hyperextended knee kept him from facing the Lions; Since then, he has played every match. And he has a streak of at least 1,000 receiving yards in seven straight seasons, earning him eight trips to the Pro Bowl and four first-team All-Pro nods.

His success is a major reason for the Chiefs’ success. They have won the last seven AFC West titles, hosted the last five conference championship games and won two of the three Super Bowls they have appeared in over the last four seasons.

Kelce’s profile has never been higher, thanks to the aura Swift has cast over him.

“I know I’m the one responsible for this,” he said. “I was lucky enough to have fun with it. That’s all that really matters, that it doesn’t piss off anyone (within the Chiefs), at least. Like I said earlier, I’ve been pretty good at compartmentalizing and making sure I’m focused on winning the match, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.