Mike Florio spins conspiracy theory on Taylor Swift's TNF appearance for Travis Kelce's Chiefs: "They want to see her carry the NFL"

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's rumored relationship has been an entry point for an entirely new demographic of viewers. The NFL would love to maximize its viewership and hook fans organically, but one analyst is bracing for the hooking to be done artificially by dishonest means. Speaking on Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio revealed that he will be keeping an eye on the referees in a search for honesty:

"[00:06:58] It all ties back to this perception that the Chiefs get the benefit of some jump balls because somebody up there in the ivory tower wants to see this whole Taylor Swift thing carry the NFL. The NFL's usually the tiger that someone grabs by the tail."

He continued, using the tiger analogy to say that the league is messing with something bigger than itself:

"The NFL has the tiger by the tail now with the whole Swift phenomenon. ... That's another reason to watch tonight. Let's see if anything happens that furthers the argument that somebody is trying to help the Chiefs. Will there be some big call that's made or not made in crunch time that helps the Chiefs and hurts the Broncos? We'll see. [00:07:37]"

Travis Kelce's stardom rises as production falls

Travis Kelce at Kansas City Chiefs v Minnesota Vikings

Over the past few weeks, various stories have surfaced about the tight end's booming online following. Hundreds of thousands of fans are clicking "follow" on the tight end's social media pages every week. However, his production on the gridiron has gone in the opposite direction.

In his first year without Tyreek Hill, the tight end averaged about 78 yards per game. This year through five weeks, he's averaging 44 yards per game. Of course, he did miss Week 1 due to injury. That said, he's still playing below last year's production in games he has started.

This year in four starts, Travis Kelce is averaging 55.5 yards per game. If he maintains that pace over the remaining games in the regular season, he will earn 943 yards in 2023. This would be a drop of about 400 yards. Of course, that also assumes that he stays healthy.

The tight end is coming off an ankle injury suffered in Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings. In other words, he has only been able to avoid injury in Week 2, 3 and 4. Many believe he was less than 100% in Week 2, having rushed back from his preseason bone bruise.

As such, Travis Kelce has only been truly healthy in Weeks 3 and 4. The tight end has only had four days of rest and now will play against Russell Wilson on Thursday Night Football.

Will he have a strong showing on Thursday night to rebound into the form of previous years or will he leave Patrick Mahomes hanging?

If any of the above quotes are used, credit Pro Football Talk and H/T Sportskeeda.