KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Travis Kelce was chatting with Patrick Mahomes in practice this week when he mentioned, almost as an afterthought, that he thought Taylor Swift would take him up on his invitation to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
"Some things with Travis," Mahomes explained later, "he says it and you don' t know if it's true or not, he says it so calmly."
Turns out it was true.
Mahomes and Kelce put on quite their own show for the pop star, too.
The reigning league MVP threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns, his All-Pro tight end caught seven passes and one of the scoring throws, and the Chiefs romped to a 41-10 victory over the Bears -- much to the delight of their newest fan, who joyfully pounded on the glass of her Arrowhead Stadium suite throughout the afternoon.
"I haven't gotten to meet her," said Mahomes, who was left answering questions about Kelce and Swift's budding relationship after his good buddy ducked out on reporters. "I guess if she ends up being with Travis, I'll meet her at some point."
Jerick McKinnon had a pair of touchdown catches and Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire added touchdown runs, helping the Super Bowl champion Chiefs (2-1) deal the Bears (0-3) their 13th consecutive loss dating to last season.
The game was so lopsided by the third quarter that Mahomes and most of the Chiefs' starters got the rest of the day off.
"We got things rolling and that's a plus against a defense that, you know, is banged up a little bit," Chiefs Coach Andy Reid said.
Embattled Bears quarterback Justin Fields was 11 of 22 for 99 yards with an interception and a meaningless touchdown in the final minutes. He also led the Bears with 47 yards rushing, a good chunk of that coming on a 17-yard scramble, as the league's 27th-ranked offense finished with just 203 yards against one of the NFL's fast-improving defenses.
"We've got to keep this thing tight in our locker room. That's the most important thing," Bears Coach Matt Eberflus said. "There's going to be a lot of outside noise, as there always is in the NFL. And we've played three games so far in the season. We've got a great opportunity ahead of us. We've got two games in 11 days, and so we're going to focus on that."
Still, their poor performance Sunday was a brutal end to a dismal week of distractions.
In the span of a few hours Wednesday, Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams abruptly resigned, citing the need "to take care of my health and family," and Fields had to walk back some comments he made blaming his "robotic" play through the first two weeks on the way he had been coached.
Eberflus was left to call defensive plays, just as he did in last weekend's loss to Tampa Bay, and Reid proceeded to make the former Indianapolis Colts coordinator look utterly lost.
The Chiefs began their assault with the first of Mahomes' two TD passes to McKinnon, then Edwards-Helaire scored from a yard out to make it 14-0 early in the second quarter. When the Bears punted a third consecutive time, Mahomes hit McKinnon again to extend the lead, and Kansas City proceeded to score on its next four possessions.
As for Fields, well, the QB was not just robotic but inaccurate. When one of the league's most porous offensive lines wasn't allowing the Chiefs to pressure him, Fields was consistently missing open targets down field.
"I need to be better," Fields said simply.
He was picked off by Mike Edwards late in the first half, leading to Pacheco's touchdown run. And when Harrison Butker added the second of his two field goals, the Chiefs were able to take a 34-0 lead into the break.
Kelce added his short touchdown catch early in the second half, celebrating in the back of the end zone by revving the engine on an imaginary motorcycle. High above the stadium, Swift clapped her hands alongside his mother, Donna Kelce.
"On Friday he was like, 'Yeah, I think she's coming to the game this weekend,' and went about his business," Mahomes recalled after the game, "and you're like, I guess that just happens. That's Travis."
Chicago00010--10
Kansas City72770--41
First Quarter
KC--McKinnon 6 pass from Mahomes (Butker kick), 6:51.
Second Quarter
KC--Edwards-Helaire 1 run (Butker kick), 11:34.
KC--McKinnon 3 pass from Mahomes (Butker kick), 3:05.
KC--FG Butker 41, 1:51.
KC--Pacheco 1 run (Butker kick), 1:06.
KC--FG Butker 38, :00.
Third Quarter
KC--Kelce 3 pass from Mahomes (Butker kick), 7:40.
Fourth Quarter
Chi--FG Santos 21, 13:34.
Chi--D.Moore 9 pass from Fields (Santos kick), 4:20.
ChiKC
First downs1131
Total Net Yards203456
Rushes-yards26-11637-153
Passing87303
Punt Returns0-03-33
Kickoff Returns0-00-0
Interceptions Ret.2-421-16
Comp-Att-Int11-22-127-38-2
Sacked-Yards Lost3-120-0
Punts5-45.81-55.0
Fumbles-Lost1-10-0
Penalties-Yards6-323-15
Time of Possession23:4736:13
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Chicago, Fields 11-47, R.Johnson 8-38, Herbert 7-31. Kansas City, Pacheco 15-62, Edwards-Helaire 15-55, Mahomes 3-28, McKinnon 2-9, Gabbert 2-(minus 1).
PASSING--Chicago, Fields 11-22-1-99. Kansas City, Mahomes 24-33-0-272, Gabbert 3-5-2-31.
RECEIVING--Chicago, Moore 3-41, Kmet 2-22, R.Johnson 2-11, Herbert 2-4, Claypool 1-15, Scott 1-6. Kansas City, Kelce 7-69, Rice 5-59, Moore 4-42, McKinnon 3-19, Ju.Watson 2-51, Pacheco 2-16, Valdes-Scantling 1-37, Gray 1-9, Edwards-Helaire 1-2, Toney 1-(minus 1).
MISSED FIELD GOALS--None.
Kansas City Chiefs running back Jerick McKinnon (1) is congratulated by Trey Smith, left, and Rashee Rice, right, during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is introduced before the start of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) is unable to catch a pass as Chicago Bears cornerback Terell Smith (32) defends during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Chiefs running back Jerick McKinnon (1) scores during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, right, slips past Chicago Bears defensive end DeMarcus Walker during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (10) runs with the ball as Chicago Bears defensive tackle Andrew Billings (97) defends during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Taylor Swift, right, watches from a suite alongside Travis Kelce's mother, Donna Kelce, inside Arrowhead Stadium during the first half of an NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)