Jason Kelce reacts to the Eagles’ first loss, reviews ‘Life of a Showgirl,’ and more from ‘New Heights’
Kelce thinks the passing game has grown, but is wary of the Giants. And of course he had to ask Travis about “that” song from Taylor Swift’s new album.
It’s Week 6 of the NFL season, and the last two remaining undefeated teams have fallen. The Buffalo Bills suffered a 23-20 loss to the New England Patriots, their first of the season. And the Eagles lost 21-17 to the Denver Broncos after allowing 18 unanswered points in the fourth quarter of Week 5.
But the Eagles weren’t the only team to fall victim to a come-from-behind win last week. In fact five other teams suffered the same fate, including the Kansas City Chiefs, who lost a 14-0 lead to the Jacksonville Jaguars, in a 31-28 loss.
It was the week of comebacks in the NFL. But it was also the week of comebacks for Travis Kelce’s fiancée, and pop superstar, Taylor Swift, who released “The Life of a Showgirl.” And Travis and Jason Kelce couldn’t be more excited.
The brothers talked about it all on the latest episode of New Heights. Here’s what you missed …
What really cost the Eagles the game
The Eagles were on the wrong side of a few calls in their first loss of the season to the Broncos, including a potential pass interference call on a pass intended for Dallas Goedert on the Eagles’ final possession of the game.
» READ MORE: Vic Fangio gave an unprompted take on the NFL’s new kicking ball rules. Eagles kickers could only laugh.
Former center Jason Kelce said a number of “missed opportunities” — and not just questionable calls — are to blame for Sunday’s loss.
“The Eagles had a big play down the field to DeVonta Smith, gets called back because two guys are in motion at once; missed on the A.J. Brown connection; they had a chance to hit [Jahan] Dotson down the field and they’re not on the same page,” Kelce said. “Obviously, everybody is talking about the end-of-the-game play with Dallas Goedert toward the end zone, which I get. Like, is it a pass interference in my opinion? Yes. But, with the game on the line, that’s a hard call to see and make in real time.
“I’m usually more in favor of officials staying out of the way at end of game situations like that. But, obviously, because that happened to the Eagles, I wish they would have called it. But, I can’t be that guy.”
‘It felt like they grew a little bit’
Sunday marked the second consecutive week in which the Eagles struggled in the second half. Last week, after building a 24-6 halftime lead, the Eagles allowed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to nearly come back, but held them off for a 31-25 win.
“The Eagles right now got to get that fixed,” Kelce said. “The first half offense and what they’re coming out [with], preparing for in the game is working for them, which is great to see. It felt like the Tampa Bay game, they came out and really tried to run the ball and do the clock management, ground and pound, let the clock start ticking down as you had the lead and Tampa Bay almost crawled back and won.
“And then this past week, through all of the banter about the passing game and A.J. Brown, combined with the way the run game went last week in the second half, I mean they only ran the ball like twice in the second half. So, they went the opposite way.”
» READ MORE: Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and Saquon Barkley have a private meeting as offense searches for identity
Despite the loss, he believes there have been improvements in the passing game.
“In the coach’s defense, a lot of those passing plays were there,” Kelce said. “Like, I really think they made some adjustments in the passing game, everybody’s really criticized Kevin Patullo for not being creative with A.J.’s routes and all this stuff. It felt like they made a concerted effort to do some different things.
“They had chances down the field to make big plays and they just didn’t execute on them. … To me, [the passing game] was better in that game. Even though the result was worse, it felt like they grew a little bit in that regard. Now, we got to get the run game figured out. We have not run the ball well all year and when you’re up points, you should be able to run the football. Especially, when you have Jalen Hurts in the backfield.”
‘Can’t take [the Giants] lightly’
The Eagles will try to figure things out as they head into their next matchup on Thursday night against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. When these two teams met for the first time last season, Saquon Barkley rushed for 176 yards and a touchdown against his former team.
Heading into Thursday, the 1-4 Giants are coming off a 26-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints — but Kelce doesn’t think they should be overlooked.
“I know their record doesn’t indicate that they’re a great football team, but these guys are playing pretty good,” Kelce said. “This guy Jaxson Dart, [Cameron] Skattebo, they’re [expletive] playing with a lot of juice. … It’s a different team than they’ve been all year and you can see the energy throughout on their side, even though they did lose to the Saints. Can’t take them lightly.
“Defensively, they’ve got a great defensive line. And right now [our] offensive line is banged up. Tackle positions are great. Landon [Dickerson], I don’t know if he’s going to be in or out. It’ll be a fun one, man.”
» READ MORE: Eagles-Giants film preview: Containing Jaxson Dart, getting Saquon Barkley going, and protecting Jalen Hurts
Jason and Travis talk ‘Life of a Showgirl’
As the Eagles prepare for prime time on Thursday Night Football, the Kelce brothers — and maybe some Eagles players? — will be listening to “The Life of a Showgirl.” Swift released her 12th studio album on Friday, and since then both Kelces said they have had the album on repeat.
“It’s fun listening to an album start to finish, and really dive into it,” Jason said. “I don’t know the last time I really anticipated anybody releasing an album and like I looked at all the lyrics and listened to every song.”
Jason said his favorite songs on the album are “Opalite” and “Eldest Daughter.”
“The vibe of the [Opalite] chorus is very Christmas-y to me, which makes it feel even more joyous,” he said. “The chorus is such a catchy groove. I love that song. I love that song so much. ‘Eldest Daughter,’ I’m a sucker for a ballad and I just think the expression in that song and the sentiment behind it is beautiful.”
His next top three from the 12-song track list: “The Fate of Ophelia,” “The Life of a Showgirl,” and “Actually Romantic.”
And, of course, they had to talk about the song “Wood,” a raunchy song about Travis.
“Do you feel, like, I guess, what’s the word I’m looking for,” Jason said. “Do you feel cocky? Do you feel cocky about the song ‘Wood?’”
Travis responded: “Any song that, you know, she references me in is very like …”
“That’s not just any song,” Jason interrupted. “That’s a very specific you.”
“I love that girl,” Travis said. “So, what do you mean? Any song that she would reference me in any way or form …
Jason interrupted again to hammer home some of the lyrics in “Wood,” and that’s when things got a little … specific.
A loss of belief: Things aren’t getting better; they’re getting worse. The theme doesn’t just apply to the Eagles’ Black Friday loss to the Chicago Bears. It fits the narrative of the entire 2025 season. With five games to go, there’s little reason to hope or expect significant change to take place, particularly on the offensive side of the ball — unless ...
The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and Olivia Reiner take a look at what the Eagles’ seemingly inherent flaws mean for the homestretch of the season, and how they could affect the fate of offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. Listen here.
Listen to all episodes here or wherever you get your podcasts.
