“It’s tough on him — Travis Kelce to hit the right notes as Taylor Swift storm gathers force

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is facing added pressure from the Taylor Swift fanbase this season but former cornerback turned pundit Jason Bell is backing the 34-year-old to shake it off.

Two-time Super Bowl champion Kelce hopes his public appearances with Swift will not leave any bad blood between himself and his team-mates and Bell believes the extra attention on the NFL is a good thing.

Speaking exclusively to LiveScore, he said: “I know people get upset, especially old-school fans but I really appreciate that the league is starting to embrace these kinds of stories.

“You have your hardcore fans, they love the game and you have your casual fans that love the game but now you have a new fanbase that would never turn it on, except that they love Taylor Swift, one of the biggest artists in the entire world.

“It draws attention to Travis Kelce but he’s one of the best in his position. When you watch him out there, you’ll be like, ‘wow, this is great’, and maybe you’ve just converted a bunch of fans.

“It’s tough on him — that’s a lot of distraction that he has to handle but for the sport, this is great.

“I think we’re lucky enough to kind of fall into a couple of these positive things a year. And when we do, we need to embrace them and continue to tell the story.”

Kelce has forged his own love story with the Chiefs since he joined in 2013 but he could be in for a tough season as NFL challengers look to dethrone the current holders of the Lombardi Trophy.

Bell is expecting Kansas to challenge for a spot at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas and has been impressed with the standard of the opposition.

He said: “In the NFC, you’ve got the [San Francisco] 49ers — the way they just beat up on the [Dallas] Cowboys makes it hard to say they’re not contenders.

“The [Philidelphia] Eagles are close behind. It’s easy to say that because they are two undefeated teams but they’re well-balanced football teams, they are going to be hard to beat.

“In the AFC, I’m still riding with the Chiefs like I did at the beginning of the year but the [Miami] Dolphins are still high flying.

“Up until recently the [Buffalo] Bills were right there but they can still bounce back. Jacksonville [Jaguars] is coming along and I like the [Baltimore] Ravens.”

Bell has already picked out his early choices for MVP and Rookie of the Year, despite the season being only five weeks in.

He added: “Early season MVP to me is Christian McCaffrey. I know it is probably going to be a quarterback from whoever wins the No1 seed but the way he is playing on the hottest team in the NFL is unbelievable.

“He is just making it happen. I know things are hard but if anybody’s got a chance to get that MVP that is not a quarterback, it’s him.

“As far as rookies are concerned, CJ Stroud. The [Houston] Texans have been amazing.

“He is making all the throws and their offence is clicking. I like his coaching staff and what they are doing. I think the future is bright for him.”