It started with a tiny string of beads. When Travis Kelce showed up to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour stop at Arrowhead with a friendship bracelet carrying his phone number, little did he know he would end up marrying the star. After all, he never got the chance to hand it to her, and Swift only took notice once Kelce admitted it on New Heights. That was the start of one of the most talked-about relationships in sports and pop culture, all from a friendship bracelet. But what Kelce couldn’t have known was that the same string of beads would be used against him years later, on a day that left his team frustrated.

Kansas City arrived in Seattle with an undefeated record. By the time they left, the offense had stalled, and the defense had been demolished by the reigning champions. One of the league’s highest-paid kickers, Harrison Butker, missed crucial field goal attempts. Kenneth Walker, who looked like the league’s best running back, was held to 36 yards against a team he had left right after the Super Bowl. And Mahomes couldn’t make it work in the endzone. 

As if to rub salt in their wounds, the Seahawks took a jab at the Chiefs using Kelce’s gift from all those years ago. On Instagram, they posted a friendship bracelet spelling out “Seahawks Win,” just in the same manner as Swift’s fans wore custom bracelets on the Eras Tour. But while you might expect Swifties and Chiefs Kingdom to be fuming, this is exactly the kind of humor Seattle’s social team has become known for, and we’re not surprised.

After all, it wouldn’t be the first time the Seahawks have poked at rivals after a win. Last season, they made a habit of it. The Cardinals were first treated to an image of their helmets piled up as if it were a bone temple out of a horror movie. Then, it was the Seahawks mascot Blitz calmly riding a bull after they beat the Texans. 

And if you thought that was too much, after six straight wins, they posted a reference to the Panthers’ ‘Keep pounding’ motto alongside an image of a seahawk flying over the Bank of America Stadium with a panther inside a litter box.

That was the last we heard from Seattle’s highly active social media team. Even as they entered this year with a win against the Patriots, there were no posts. So why did Kansas City get hit while other teams were spared?

Well, if we look at their schedule so far this season, the Chiefs’ victory was probably the biggest one. We’re not just talking about the margin. Seattle went against an unbeaten Chiefs side that looked like Super Bowl contenders, shut down Kenneth Walker AND Patrick Mahomes, then won 20-3.

For a team coming into the game with two straight losses, a dominant win was a sign of change. And that’s when they decided to go for the Chiefs’ iconic couple. The friendship bracelet wasn’t just a symbol for Kelce and Swift; it’s a symbol for plenty of Taylor Swift fans.

Swift’s concerts had become famous for the bracelets, with fans often exchanging bracelets with each other. The bracelet itself was a straight poke at the most famous couple in the NFL, and no one would know it better than the four-time first-team All-Pro himself. While Kelce hasn’t weighed in on the post, he once revealed, “I was disappointed that she doesn’t talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs she sings. If you’re up on Taylor Swift concerts, there are friendship bracelets, and I had received a bunch of them, but I wanted to give Taylor Swift with my number on it.”

And Seattle had done its homework. The caption read, “End Game.” While many would simply ignore the caption and deem it simple, reports indicated that the caption is, in fact, the title of one of the singles from the album Reputation. 

That could have been the end of it, but the Seahawks kept going. Their mascot uploaded another Instagram post. This time around, the post showed the Seahawks’ mascot Blitz in a concert setup, wearing a shimmering mascot outfit, while the caption was a reference to one of Swift’s songs, Vigilante S***.

The caption read, “Lately, I’ve been dressin’ for revenge,” as the mascot spread its hands with the scoreline mentioned above its head.

One thing is clear from these mocking posts: the couple has been one of the most influential figures in the NFL in recent history. If you look at any game where Swift has appeared, she has her own live-screen time, with every reaction of hers becoming a headline.

Meanwhile, Kelce had been dealing with a sore right ankle after Week 6’s 22-6 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, and said that the team needed to “figure some things out.” Kelce, of course, has a habit of finding a silver lining. Even on a night when Seattle had the last laugh, he walked out of Lumen Field holding a piece of history no tight end had ever owned.

Kelce became the NFL’s all-time leader in receiving yards by a tight end (regular season and postseason), surpassing Tony Gonzalez.

Next up for the Chiefs are the Broncos, with Butker’s misses, a stalled offense, and their first loss of the season to answer for.