Travis Kelce goads Bills fans as he walks into locker room hurt from a massive hit by rival

If Travis Kelce was hurt, he was determined not to show it to the Bills mafia.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end left the field a few seconds before his teammates went in for the halftime interval on Sunday night, having taken a brutal hit to the chest in the end zone from linebacker Cole Bishop.

Kelce, 36, appeared to be in trouble when he took a moment to get back onto his feet after the hit, before walking away slowly with trainers around him. Patrick Mahomes failed to find Kelce in the end zone with a pass placed slightly behind the tight end and Bishop made sure he wasn't getting it by drilling him with his right shoulder, while Terrel Bernard shoved him on his way down for good measure.

The Chiefs medical team had rushed out to check if he was ok and Kelce left the field with three seconds left on the clock, while kicker Harrison Butker raced out to convert a field goal.

As he walked away from the play, Kelce cupped his ear to the Buffalo Bills fans as he headed to the locker room, appearing to say 'I love it, I love it.' Kelce was checked over by trainers and was even evaluated for concussion in the locker room but he showed no further cause for concern.

The Chiefs trailed the Bills 13-21 at the halftime interval and would go on to lose 28-21 on a day where Kelce's fiancee, Taylor Swift, stayed away from the biggest Chiefs game of the season so far.

Kelce made it back out onto the field for the first snap of the third quarter, and Chiefs quarterback Mahomes did what he had failed to do moments earlier by immediately picking him out for a five yard catch.

The tight end would later demonstrate his telepathic connection with Mahomes, taking a catch for 27 yards with his quarterback struggling to find anyone open just yards outside of his own end zone. But it was ultimately a day of frustration for the Chiefs as they lost to a big rival and fall to 5-4 for the season.

Kelce finished with four receptions for 66 yards as the Chiefs head into a bye week - perhaps not the worst timing for him if there is any lingering impact from the hit by Bishop.

Sunday also marked another dramatic instalment long-standing rivalry between the Bills and Chiefs that has ramped up in the corresponding eras of quarterbacks Josh Allen and Mahomes.

The Chiefs and Mahomes have beaten the Bills in playoffs four times out of the last five seasons. Allen has yet to play in a Super Bowl, let alone win one, while Mahomes has three victories to his name out of five appearances so far in the NFL's showpiece event.

It meant Sunday's game at Highmark Stadium would serve as an early marker for the postseason aspirations of both teams. And it was the Bills and Allen who would claim first blood in the lastest chapter of rivalry - not that Allen was looking too much into the win.

'It was a team effort. A lot of hard work went into this,' Allen said. 'We made one more (play) than they did and that is all that matters.'

Asked about the importance of the win in the race to the Super Bowl and the battle for the AFC Championship, Allen simply said: 'One and 0.'

There was no sign of Kelce's fiancee Swift in the stands on Sunday and while she hasn't tended to travel to road games in recent months, the lack of a sighting didn't immediately mean that she wasn't there.

The singer has made a habit of keeping lowkey appearances at Chiefs games this season, tending to stay towards the back of VIP suites when she cheers Kelce on during NFL games.

She has been to Highmark before - she was in the stands in January 2024 when Kelce scored two touchdowns as the Chiefs beat the Bills on the road to advance in the postseason playoffs.

That day, Kelce's older brother Jason stole the show by climbing out of the VIP suite, shirtless, and downing a beer to celebrate one of his brother's touchdowns.

When Kelce and the Chiefs return in Week 11, they'll meet AFC West leaders Denver Broncos, who are 7-2 after beating the Houston Texans 18-15 on Sunday.