It’s business as usual for Travis Kelce and his Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Eve as the Super Bowl winners touched down in Pittsburgh for Wednesday’s game against the Steelers.
But spending Christmas Eve away from girlfriend Taylor Swift did not appear to dampen his festive spirit as he stepped off the plane in a Santa hat.
It’s the second year in a row that the Chiefs have played on Christmas Day but last year, they had a home game in Kansas City that they lost against the Las Vegas Raiders.
A year on from their last defeat, the Chiefs are on the road this time around looking for the one victory needed to clinch the AFC’s top seed.
The Chiefs shared pictures of the team landing on Tuesday afternoon in Pittsburgh, being led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The quarterback, wearing a sharp blue suit, has been contending with a high ankle sprain in recent weeks but marched quickly down the steps holding two bags of luggage and showing no sign of any pain.
Travis Kelce landed in Pittsburgh in a Santa hat on Christmas Eve before his next Chiefs game
Kelce is spending Christmas Eve away from girlfriend Taylor Swift with a game Christmas Day
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes led the team off the plane in a baby blue suit
The 35-year-old Kelce has a chance to record Chiefs history on Christmas Day.
He is currently tied with Tony Gonzalez for the most touchdowns in Chiefs history with a tally of 76 – meaning one more will TD will mean he holds the record in Kansas City.
In the lead up to the Steelers game, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin paid a huge tribute to Kelce in a year where he hasn’t hit the explosive heights of last campaign.
But if anything, Tomlin explained, the downturn in Kelce’s stats show how much unheralded work he is doing for his team.
‘He is an unbelievably unselfish player, I don’t think he gets enough credit for that,’ Tomlin said.
‘Big play maker certainly… but really impressed with the unselfishness of his play.’
It is not yet clear if Swift is heading to Pittsburgh to cheer Kelce on for the Christmas Day game but if she does, it will be her first road game of the NFL season.
She often traveled to road games last season but this year has stuck to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
Kelce and Swift pictured together after the Chiefs beat the Houston Texans on Saturday
If Kelce scores a touchdown vs the Steelers, he will claim a new record for the Chiefs
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But with her Eras Tour now over, Kelce is the busier person in the power couple as the Chiefs step up their efforts to win an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title.
The Steelers will pose a serious test for the Chiefs. Russel Wilson’s team are 10-5 and lead the AFC North but are on the same record as the Baltimore Ravens, who also play on Christmas Day.
With both teams vying for the AFC North title, victory for the Steelers against Kelce and Mahomes is imperative to how their postseason eventually maps out.
After Wednesday’s game, the Chiefs round out the regular season on the road to the Denver Broncos on January 5.