Jan 28, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Singer/songwriter Taylor Swift (L) stands on the field after the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship football game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Ravens News: Taylor Swift Shares Welcome to the NFL Moment

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated Aug 14, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The newest episode of the Jason and Travis Kelce's "New Heights" podcast , featuring pop superstar Taylor Swift as a guest, has taken the internet by storm, amassing more than 11 million views in 20 hours at the time of writing.

The trio spent more than two hours talking about music and football matters, and somehow, some way, the Baltimore Ravens snuck their way into the show.

At one point, Swift was asked what her "welcome to the NFL moment" was. She then revealed that moment took place after Travis and the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Ravens in the 2023 AFC Championship Game, and specifically when the Kelces' mother asked her to leave her private suite and join the team on the field for celebration. Once she got down on the field of M&T Bank Stadium, that's when the weight of the moment really hit her.

"It's just like, 'Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God,'" Swift said. "There's so many lights. I have never seen this many cameras. I've never seen this much media in my life, and I've seen a lot of media.

"And then the media sees me, and they're like: 'Ah!' And then they just start running at me, and I'm looking at you, and then you're screaming into the mic, because when there's a mic and there's Travis, he physically needs to scream into it. So basically, I'm experiencing this whole heightened scenario that I had no idea five minutes before I was going to be experiencing. And it's one of my most cherished memories."

While that day was great for Swift and the Chiefs, the Ravens would prefer to forget it.

Baltimore finished that season with a league-best 14-3 record thanks to an MVP season by Lamar Jackson and a superb season by Mike Macdonald's defense. With a stellar all-around team and home-field advantage - fun fact: this is the only AFC Championship Game since 2018 to not take place at Arrowhead Stadium - it seemed like the Ravens had a great chance to book their ticket to the Super Bowl.

As is so often the case, though, the Chiefs sucked all the hope out of the venue throughout a 17-10 victory. The Ravens' complete abandonment of the run game early on hurt them dearly, and after Zay Flowers' goal-line fumble at the start of the fourth quarter, the writing was on the wall.

Hey, at least it was a memorable day for someone.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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