The NFL is in its Swiftie era.
During the Chiefs-Bears game on September 24th, the internet blew up as Taylor Swift was seen watching in a box with “Mama” Donna Kelce. This confirmed the month-long rumors that Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift were the newest “power couple” for fans to gossip over. So, for all of the new football fans who will be watching the Chiefs this year, here is what you need to know:
- The Basics
If you only want to know how the sport you watch works, here is the breakdown. Two teams alternate Offense and Defense, and they switch sides throughout the game after the offense’s “possession” ends. That position can either end in points (a touchdown, which is 6 points, a field goal, which is 3 points) or a turnover (which can be an interception, fumble, turnover-on-downs, or punt).
A touchdown is scored when the offense gets the ball into the endzone at opposite field ends. The team can move the ball toward the endzone by either running or passing the ball (which is done by the quarterback) to score.
2. The Positions
On offense, here are the main players to be concerned with:
Quarterback: The leader of the offense
Star Quarterbacks: Patrick Mahomes (Pictured below), Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts
Wide Receivers: The person responsible for catching the ball thrown by the Quarterback.
Star Wide Receivers: Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Stefon Diggs
Running Back: The player, during run plays, that runs the ball to get as far as possible
Star Running Backs: Christian Mccaffrey, Saquon Barkley, Tony Pollard
Tight Ends: The “Swiss Army knife” of the offense, expected to catch passes and block as a part of the Offensive line (see below)
Star Tight Ends: Travis Kelce (Pictured below), Mark Andrews, Dallas Goedert
Offensive line: Being made up of a Center, 2 Guards, and 2 Tackles, they are the protectors of the quarterback to prevent the defense from tackling him
Star Offensive Lineman: Jason Kelce (Center), Shaq Mason (Guard), Evan Neal (Tackle)
3. More information
For Swifties trying to go above and beyond in their football knowledge, here are a few sources that go in-depth about football culture as a whole:
