He may have tried to shake it off with the words, ‘It’s football baby!’ but the truth is criticism of Travis Kelce‘s woeful start to the season has cut deep.

Now, DailyMail.com has exclusively learned, Taylor Swift made an early-morning dash to be by her boyfriend’s side last week, the day after photos of his misery on the Chiefs bench in Atlanta flooded the internet along with calls for him to quit.

According to well-placed insiders Swift, 34, flew from New York to Kelce’s $6 million home in Kansas City hours later on Monday morning.

She made her flight as the Kansas Chief tight end wrestles with the reality of the worst season start of his career.

Travis Kelce had a horrible start to his 2024 season with only eight catches in three games, so much so that his girlfriend Taylor Swift flew in to console him

Taylor Swift (seen with Kelce after the game against the Baltimore Ravens on September 5) flew to Kelce’s $6 million home in Kansas City on Monday morning

Today, celebrity gossip podcast ‘Deux Moi,’ confirmed that Swift was in town, with the couple reportedly ‘shutting down,’ the Kansas City hotspot of ‘Noka,’ a downtown Japanese restaurant

‘He’s been jet-setting around with the most famous person probably in the entire world, that he’s drinking, going to the US Open… take a picture from preseason 2022 (left) and then take a picture preseason 2024 (right), they’re barely the same human being,’ Former ESPN analyst Todd McShay said.

Today, celebrity gossip podcast ‘Deux Moi,’ confirmed that Swift was in town, with the couple reportedly ‘shutting down,’ the Kansas City hotspot of ‘Noka,’ a downtown Japanese restaurant.

According to Deux Moi, ‘The restaurant was claiming it was closed for maintenance but it’s the same restaurant where Britanny Mahomes had her birthday dinner not very long ago.’

After spending two days together, Swift left Kelce to focus on his football, flying to Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday before making the short hop to St Louis, Missouri on Friday 27 September where she attended her cousin’s wedding.

Swift wasn’t there to watch the Kansas City beat the Los Angeles Chargers 17-10 last Sunday. But, according to one well-placed source, her absence is no indication that her romance with Kelce is cooling off.

Swift simply doesn’t see much of her boyfriend when he’s playing away games and this season is expected to mostly stick to attending the Chief’s home games at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City where she and NFL hunk have the perfect bolthole and where Kelce will celebrate his 35th birthday on Saturday.

Kelce bought his sprawling home in a suburb of Kansas City last October. Set in the manicured grounds of a gated community and far from the public gaze it is the perfect bolt-hole for the A-list couple.

Across the past year they have spent much quality time there together enjoying low-key date nights of simply cooking dinner and watching movies.

The couple has holed up there together early last week as Kelce focuses on training and weathers a storm of criticism for which, as one of the Chief’s most beloved players, the three-time Super Bowl winner is ill-prepared.

It’s been a bumpy month for Kelce and Swift who recently celebrated one year of having made their romance official with the anniversary of the singer’s first public attendance of a game at Arrowhead Stadium on September 24.

Swift made it to boyfriend Travis Kelce’s opening two games of the 2024 campaign, seen here on September 15 against the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead, but missed week 3

Only a couple of weeks earlier they were forced to defend themselves against allegations that the whole relationship was a PR sham following an alleged leak of documents purporting to be from Kelce’s public relations.

Full Scope PR engaged lawyers to ‘initiate proceedings against the individuals or entities responsible for the unlawful and injurious forgery of documents,’ that appeared to offer a comprehensive strategy for Swift and Kelce’s impending breakup, even giving the date of the supposed event as September 18.

Three days after the leak made headlines, they attended the US Open with quarterback Patrick Mahomes, 29, and wife Brittany, also 29.

Kelce and Swift appeared at pains to quash the notion that they were anything other than the real thing, drawing attention for their very public displays of affection as they rocked out to The Darkness’s, ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’.

Now, disappointed by his on-field performance, many are questioning whether such off-field activities may be a distraction to Kelce’s game.

Kelce concerned fans by looking miserable on the sidelines in each of Kansas City’s games as he performed badly and looked like a much worse player

Kelce dropped a pass on third down in the final quarter of the Chiefs’ win over the Falcons in his third game on Sunday night

According to well-placed insiders Swift, 34, flew from New York to Kelce’s $6 million home in Kansas City hours later on Monday morning

Former ESPN analyst Todd McShay is one who voiced his belief that the star is out of shape, having spent his offseason focused not on training, but on Swift.

McShay didn’t mince his words on The Ryen Russillo Podcast, on Monday

‘Every show I watch, every pregame show, halftime show, postgame show, weekday show, every broadcast I watch for the last few weeks, it’s like are we not allowed to say that he’s out of shape, that he’s been partying all offseason?’ he said.

‘He’s been jet-setting around with the most famous person probably in the entire world, that he’s drinking, going to the US Open… take a picture from preseason 2022 and then take a picture preseason 2024, they’re barely the same human being.’

It’s no secret that Kelce had the busiest offseason of his career, if not of any NFL player. His numerous brand deals and investments would be enough to keep anyone busy.

He and brother Jason signed a deal with Amazon Wondery in August for their New Heights podcast, said to be worth $100 million across three years.

Then there’s the travel – Germany, London, Amsterdam, Singapore… the list goes on – to see Swift in concert as photo after photo showed Kelce, often with a drink in hand, lapping up the love and the limelight.

Kelce looks enthused to be with Swift at the US Open on September 8 – just three days after his first game where he old caught three ball for 34 yards

But in his three games so far this season Kelce has had just eight catches for 69 yards and no touchdowns, much slower than his usual dominant pace.

Some pointed to him having a massive target on his back thanks to his status and prowess, claiming that he has been the focus of hounding by linebackers and defensive backs.

But others noted that did not stop him getting into the end zone and putting up huge numbers in the past.

Kelce defended his record and minimized his woes on his New Heights, podcast on Wednesday alongside his retired ex-Philadelphia Eagle brother Jason, 36,

This included his flubs in Sunday’s game against the Falcons – a game in which the Chiefs ultimately squeaked by with a 22-17 win.

Kelce recently dressed as a Roman Gladiator in the latest campaign for Pepsi and the NFL

Kelce appeared in Ryan Murphy’s new show on FX, Grotesquerie

Their previous game against the Cincinnati Bengals was even closer, winning just 26 to 25.

‘I’ve had a lot of catches in this league, man. I’m not worried about the catches and the yards, and all of that. I have the most fun when I get the ball thrown my way, I mean, who doesn’t?’ Kelce said.

‘It has everything to do with execution and just making sure we’re doing everything we can to win these football games, that’s always going to be the goal.

‘I think everyone saw my drop in the fourth quarter and the crucial third down, just trying to do too much before putting the ball away.

‘That’s probably the biggest thing for me is making the play in big-time moments like that. I think with how defenses are playing us right now, I’m not really getting a lot of opportunities to make plays down the field, but [I’m] not using that as an excuse.

‘Moving forward, still trying to make sure I can help the team out in that regard knowing I’ve been that weapon for us in the past… everyone’s just tweaking their game in the right direction.’

Mahomes earlier gave the same explanation, saying defenses focused on stifling Kelce – but this was still helpful as it left his teammates open.