Fans thought NBC’s Mike Tririco made a cheeky Taylor Swift reference during the NFL’s kickoff game on Thursday night.

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The Kansas City Chiefs lined up against their AFC Championship Game opponents from last season, the Baltimore Ravens, in an opening fixture that did not disappoint. Taylor Swift was in attendance to watch her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, much like she did many times last season.

Tirico, who called the game for NBC alongside Cris Collinsworth, seemed to reference Swift’s former relationship with Harry Styles while announcing that the game would be delayed because of inclement weather.

“Game delayed some 20 minutes because of weather … not out of the woods for showers for the rest of the night,” he said, per Newsweek.
Taylor Swift watches as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Baltimore Ravens (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
“Out of the Woods” happens to be the title of a Taylor Swift song thought to be about her past relationship with Styles. So, while Tirico’s comment could have been innocent, the internet wondered whether he meant it.

“THEY JUST SAID OUT OF THE WOODS HELP,” one fan tweeted.

“Okay, @MikeTirico WE NEED TO KNOW — was that an intentional Out of the Woods reference at the #Chiefs game tn or….?” another asked.

“Okay but did he say out of the woods because Swiftism or just because it’s a saying,” someone commented.

‘”Not out of the woods for showers for the rest of the night,’ I’m sorry but I laughed even if it wasn’t intentional,” another comment read.

“Tirico with an Out of the Woods reference #weareback,” someone added.

“Mike Tirico with a sneaky Taylor Swift “Out Of The Woods” reference!” a user wrote.

Taylor Swift Was Thoroughly Entertained

We may never know whether this was intentional by Mike Tirico. But Taylor Swift got to enjoy a great opening win, with the Chiefs hanging on for a 27-20 result.

Lamar Jackson thought he found Isaiah Likely for a touchdown as time expired in the fourth quarter, but replays showed that the tight end had a toe on the line when he landed, rubbing out the score.

The Chiefs will be going into their second game of the season with a satisfactory 1-0 start after losing their opener to the Detroit Lions last year.

This one really was a game of inches.