After a long and frustrating season for the Philadelphia Eagles, center Jason Kelce was ready to let loose last weekend. And boy, did he.
Cheering on brother Travis Kelce and sitting in a suite with Taylor Swift for Sunday's Buffalo Bills-Kansas City Chiefs divisional round game in Buffalo was, in his words, "one of the most fun experiences I've ever had. From start to finish."
That playoff game – and everything that encompassed it – was the primary topic of conversation on the Kelce brothers' latest episode of their "New Heights" podcast on Wednesday.
In the Highmark Stadium parking lot among the tailgaters, Jason said he didn't have the opportunity to break any tables, but he did take a shot out of a bowling ball.
Following a playoff loss the previous weekend, Jason admitted he was more than ready to put the season behind him. "This was an opportunity to, honestly, just go someplace and forget about all that. Just go have fun and root on your brother," he said.
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
From the parking lot to his spot in a luxury suite, Jason said he knew he wanted to take his shirt off at some point – despite his wife Kylie's objections.
"She was already telling me to be on my best behavior because we were meeting Taylor," he said.
"When I entered the box, I noticed I can jump out of this box and I'll be outside. And if I take my shirt off, then I'm outside and I'm part of the Buffalo Bills pageantry."
Predictably, a photo of a shirtless Jason Kelce celebrating a Travis touchdown went viral on social media.
Jason offered no apologies for his antics.
"There was something about the entire day. I got caught up in the magic of Bills Mafia," he said. "It is electric. The energy, the shenanigans. I'm like, 'I gotta have my shirt off.'"
And how did that go over with Taylor Swift, whom Jason and his wife had just met for the first time?
"Tay said she absolutely loved you," Travis said.
The Chiefs ended up pulling off a 27-24 win over the Bills to advance to Sunday's AFC championship game.
But the game nearly turned on a key turnover in the fourth quarter when Chiefs wideout Mecole Hardman fumbled at the goal line and the ball went out of bounds in the end zone.
While most of the blame centered on Hardman losing possession, the Chiefs tight end said his missed assignment on the play was a key factor.
"I'm not gonna lie. I owe Mecole a new car or something. My block is the one that knocked the ball out," Travis said. "I've been sick … I've apologized to him every time I saw him today."
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes connected with Kelce for a pair of touchdown passes in the win over Buffalo. That gave them a total of 16 touchdowns in postseason play, one more than the previous record held by Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski.
Travis was happy to point out a congratulatory message Brady sent on social media shortly afterward.
Kelce was the game's leading receiver with five catches for 75 yards and those two touchdowns.
