TMZ Sports - Page 19

They're officially a dynasty ... the Kansas City Chiefs just won Super Bowl LVIII in THRILLING fashion, thanks to a Patrick Mahomes game-winning drive in overtime!

60 minutes wasn't enough to decide the NFL season ... and with the Chiefs down 3 after the Niners kicked a field goal in the opening possession of OT, the legendary K.C. QB got the ball, and drove down the field, culminating in a Mecole Hardman touchdown pass.

25-22 Chiefs, game over, Super Bowl over, immortal status achieved for Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid ... who now both have 3 rings apiece, putting them in rarified air.

Mahomes is also a 3x Super Bowl MVP.

It also marks the first time a team has repeated since Tom Brady's New England Patriots did it in 2004 and 2005.

Mahomes threw for 333 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception ... and was perfect when he needed to be on the last drive of the game -- when his Chiefs needed a field goal to extend the game, or a TD to win.

Travis Kelce had a big second half ... after a slow start to the game, catching 9 balls for 93 yards, including a huge run and catch in overtime.

During the Lombardi Trophy presentation, Kelce said the team wanted 3 straight Super Bowl wins ... so, it's clear they're not done yet.

As the superstar tight end spoke, Taylor Swift and mom Donna Kelce watched in front of the podium ... before Travis came over and shared a lengthy hug and kiss with his GF.

As for the 49ers, they put up a helluva fight ... and Brock Purdy -- who threw for 255 yards and a touchdown -- made some nice plays, especially during his team's lone OT possession.

Unfortunately for San Francisco, Mahomes and the Chiefs were ultimately too much.

8:13 PM PT -- There it is, the kiss seen 'round the world. Taylor Swift just planted one on Travis Kelce and it was a smooch for the ages, 'cause she and TK were wrapped up in each other for a while.

Taylor and Travis locked lips for quite a while and she hugged him a ton too as she congratulated him on the big win. It was a little hard to read their lips -- but the emotions were unmistakable ... Taylor and Travis are so, so happy, and very clearly in love.

Talk about a fairy tale ending, huh?

Taylor Swift was over the moon when Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl in dramatic fashion -- and you can tell by how freaking happy she looked.

The pop star was seen cheering and screaming as the final touchdown pass was thrown by Patrick Mahomes Sunday night in overtime -- this in what turned out to be an absolute thriller of a game that came down to the wire.

PM threw it to WR Mecole Hardman and the game was over. The camera quickly cut to Taylor, but her back was turned as she an her group in the suite were all over each other.

However, the broadcast later showed other footage the moment Taylor saw the touchdown pass go down ... and you could see her raw reaction -- she was ecstatic and then some.

Travis himself was stoked on the field ... going around and hugging his teammates in what looked to be a very emotional moment. She isn't on the field just yet, it seems, but ya gotta imagine she's making her way down there right now to give her man some sugar for the W.

Like we said ... it turned out to be a very dramatic game -- with ups and downs all throughout for both teams -- and the celebration down below is sure to be more eventful.

Congrats!!!

Shawne Merriman is furious his good pal and former teammate Antonio Gates didn't make the cut for the Hall of Fame on Thursday ... and now, he's demanding an explanation from the committee.

Lights Out didn't hold back when TMZ Sports spoke with him about the Chargers legend's HOF snub ... saying point blank, "This is pretty much an embarrassment, man."

"This one needs an explanation," he said. "Because if you watch football, in the last two decades, there's no way in the world that Antonio Gates is not a first-ballot Hall of Famer."

Instead of Gates, the committee chose to put in Dwight Freeney, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Julius Peppers and Patrick Willis.

Clearly, Merriman thinks Gates got robbed ... adding, "I was shocked just like every other football fan was."

The sad part ... Merriman -- who played with Gates from 2005 through 2010 -- said he knows Gates is feeling down about it all.

"I know this has to bother him some," Merriman said.

Of course, Shawne is confident Gates will get his gold jacket sooner rather than later ... but in the meantime, he really wants to know why it didn't happen this week.

Travis Kelce was FUMING on the sideline after the Chiefs fumbled the ball in the red zone, bumping Andy Reid and screaming in his face ... nearly knocking the coach on his ass!

The incident went down during the 2nd quarter of the Super Bowl after K.C. star RB Isiah Pacheco turned the ball over deep in Niners territory ... a play Kelce watched from the sideline.

The NFL superstar was none too pleased -- and expressed his frustration, yelling inches away from his coach's face -- as girlfriend Taylor Swift watched from her suite.

Trav also slammed his helmet.

Of course, Kelce and Reid go way back to 2013, when both men joined the organization. Both guys are future Hall of Famers.

It's not the first time Kelce has lost it on the sideline. Remember back to the Christmas Day game vs. the Raiders when Travis blew his top on the sideline.

Through a quarter and a half, the game has been incredibly tense ... with star players on both teams making mistakes.

The 49ers, however, lead 10-0 ... after Christian McCaffrey scored a touchdown late in the 1st half.

Kelce has been relatively quiet (besides all the screaming), catching just one ball for one yard. We'll see if the sideline incident gets him going.

Usher and his girlfriend seem to be headed toward one of the wedding chapels in Vegas -- at least that's what these legal filings suggest ... which gives 'em a green light to get hitched.

The singer and his longtime partner, Jennifer Goicoechea, obtained a marriage license on Feb. 8 in Clark County -- this according to court records obtained by TMZ. Their marriage certificate is not yet filed ... so for now, it seems they haven't said "I do" yet.

Unclear if Usher and Jenn are actually gonna get married tonight -- considering he just had a huge Super Bowl Halftime show an hour ago ... something tells us they might.

If they don't do it now ... they got a year to get it done in Clark County before it expires.

Usher and Jenn were first seen chit-chatting in 2016 -- but they went official as a couple in late 2019, and have been together as a couple ever since. In other words, they have history.

Usher's been married twice before -- namely, to Tameka Foster and Grace Harry -- and if he walked down the aisle again ... this would be his third go-around. He already has two children with Tameka, and he welcomed two children with Jenn as well in recent years.

BTW, Jenn is in the music biz too -- but on the business side. She's an A&R exec at Epic Records. She's not nearly as much in the spotlight as he is, but definitely holds him down.

We'll see if Usher and Jenn are ready to tie the knot in front of Elvis here tonight.

Usher brought out a ton of special guests for his Super Bowl Halftime show -- most of whom were expected -- but one person he didn't trot out ... Justin Bieber, who was in town.

The legendary R&B singer took the stage at Allegiant Stadium Sunday for the Super Bowl Halftime Show -- and he put on a medley for the ages ... going through all his biggest hits, including 'Caught Up,' U Don't Have to Call,' 'Superstar' ... and eventually, 'My Boo.'

Alicia Keys came out and started singing 'If I Ain't Got You' on the piano ... and then transitioned into her duet with Usher, and it certainly stood out as a major moment.

Jermaine Dupri also came out and helped Usher sing 'Confessions' -- and that transitioned into 'Nice & Slow,' and then 'Let It Burn' right after that. And finally, 'U Got It Bad.' It was during this part that Usher went shirtless and was joined by H.E.R. who did a guitar solo.

Usher came back out and started skating onstage alongside Will.I.Am ... and they did their hit 'OMG' -- with a bunch of other backup dancers/skates who were spinning circles around 'em.

Lil Jon was the next big guest ... and this led into perhaps Usher's biggest hit, 'Yeah,' He put on an incredible dance number. Luda eventually came out as well and rapped his verse too.

It was a great show, obviously -- but it was surprising that Usher didn't bring out Bieber, as many expected him to be there ... y'know since he was literally there in Vegas this weekend. Plus, as we reported -- Usher and JB had been in direct talks in recent weeks about this.

Guess the dude wasn't up for it after all .. in any case, it was a halftime show for the ages!

2:26 PM PT -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell just had a one-on-one chat with Taylor ... hopefully he remembered to thank her for all the new fans she's brought to the sport!!!

1:39 PM PT -- Taylor's giving out hugs left and right ... with Travis' brother Jason Kelce wrapping her up in a short embrace before introducing himself to Ice Spice with a courteous handshake. Ever the gentleman, Jason!

1:30 PM PT -- Taylor Swift is in the building!!! CBS' broadcast just showed the pop star pulling up to Allegiant Stadium along with several close/famous friends including Ice Spice who appears to be hugging Swift's mom Andrea and Blake Lively who'se decked in a bright red jacket.

Taylor Swift is on the move -- she just took off in a private jet headed to Las Vegas ... and just in time too, 'cause the Super Bowl is low-key about to start pretty damn soon!

The pop star boarded her aircraft late Sunday morning -- flying out of L.A. and heading to Sin City to see her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and the Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium. Everyone assumed she'd be there, and she's on her way now.

Tay Tay was once again being covered by umbrellas (just like yesterday) as she got on her PJ -- and from the looks of it ... she and the peeps she's rolling with are rocking Chiefs gear.

She oughta be landing pretty soon here ... and from the looks of it, her motorcade is already waiting for her in Vegas. She's got a brigade of SUVs all set -- as if she was POTUS! We suppose we wouldn't expect anything less for T-Swift, she kinda is American royalty.

Anyway, it looks like our theory of her crashing in L.A. for the night after a long flight from Tokyo ended up being correct. Rather than just go straight there, she laid low for a night.

It was a whirlwind trip for her, no doubt, and she's probably running on fumes right now.

And yet ... she's being a total trooper and making the trek to Vegas to see Travis, where she'll get a chance to cheer her head off on the biggest stage in American sports. And yes, as we reported -- she'll be in a private suite with her fam and Travis' brood too, no question.

Folks have been glued to their screens to see when Taylor will be landing in Vegas -- and now, it looks like she's pretty much at the finish line. The flight from L.A. is like 45 minutes.

Her being at the Super Bowl is this fairytale story coming full circle ... her NFL journey has been one for the ages -- and it's either gonna end in pure bliss with a W, or something else.

At any rate ... we're all stoked to see how it plays out, and we're sure TK's happy too.

The game is right around the corner -- kicking off at 3:30 PM PT -- and Taylor is about to take Vegas by storm. We're sure it'll be a circus ... but nothing she can't handle. And per usual ... she's sort of arriving at the 11th hour -- but she'll be right on time regardless.

Here we go!!!

Reba McEntire's rendition of the national anthem left a lotta fans feeling emotional ... and one Chiefs defender just couldn't hold back the tears.

The singer-songwriter finished up the opening ceremony just moments ago, belting out the song before the Super Bowl kicked off on Sunday.

During the performance, CBS' broadcast jumped from player to player with many keeping their heads down and staying focused ... though Chris Jones, the Chiefs' two-time All-Pro defensive lineman was clearly carried away by the moment.

Check out the vid -- Chris, number 95 with K.C., has tears streaking his face while Reba made her way through the song ... which took 95 seconds BTW, greater than the 90.5-second over/under mark for all you sports bettors out there.

He's not the only person who was moved by the performance. Lots of fans have taken to X to tweet out their impressions of RM's singin' ... and opinions are overwhelmingly positive.

Reba is one of many celebrities both performing at and just attending the biggest game of the NFL season ... with others like Post Malone, Usher, Paul Rudd, Leonardo DiCaprio and a heck of a lot more in attendance.

Drake's betting big bucks on Kansas City to take home the Lombardi Trophy ... some harrowing news for Chiefs fans who know about his betting track record.

The singer/rapper shared a picture of his betting receipt to Instagram Sunday morning ... showing he put down $1.15 million on the Chiefs to win it all.

Drake also seemed to be making a shrewd political move by the way ... joking he couldn't "bet against the swifties" -- definitely a fanbase you don't want coming for your head!

Unfortunately for Drizzy, this might leave K.C. fans upset with him ... 'cause the dude's betting track record is pretty suspect.

For those who don't know ... Drake bets big like this quite a bit -- and loses a decent amount too. This has led fans to dub Drake cursed, saying essentially any team he bets on is bound to lose.

Sports fans tend to be an overly superstitious bunch ... but there's quite a bit of "evidence" to back up this claim with teams and players like the Kentucky Wildcats, Alabama Crimson Tide and even Conor McGregor losing pivotal matches when Drake's in their corner.

However, Drake's been a bit more accurate recently ... he hit two bets during last year's NBA finals and won just over $3.5 million when the Chiefs took home the title last year -- so maybe he's actually good luck for K.C.!

Jason Kelce's flying by on luck alone this weekend -- betting thousands at a craps table before Sunday's Super Bowl kickoff.

TMZ has obtained photos of the big Philadelphia Eagles center shooting dice at a craps table in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas ... with eyewitnesses telling us JK  was playing at a high roller's table in the luxurious Vegas hot spot.

We're told the minimum bet was $1,000 while the max was $5,000 ... a pretty penny for Jason, but nothing his reported career earnings of more than $81 million won't cover.

Kelce was letting it ride with his ride or die at his side -- Kylie Kelce stood alongside him, cheering him on with the little crowd that gathered around the Super Bowl champion.

Seems like he might've won a bit too ... we're hearing he was hootin' and hollerin' a bit after a couple throws -- so maybe he's made a few bucks at the table.

Of course, we all know why Jason's in L.V. -- his little bro Travis Kelce's attempting to win his third Super Bowl ring with the Kansas City Chiefs against the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.

Jason's been a pretty public supporter of K.C. since his own Philadelphia Eagles were booted from the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in embarrassing fashion last month -- a 32-9 slaughter by TB.

The Kelces are enjoying Vegas BTW ... with the couple even taking in an Adele concert -- where the 16-time Grammy Award winner said Jason sounded "drunk, and like you’re a football fan."

Travis Scott's music is an aphrodisiac ... at least it seemed to be for one couple who got hot and heavy with their hotel room window wide open.

Here's the deal ... the rapper took the stage at the Hakkasan Nightclub at the MGM Grand Saturday night to perform a few songs ahead of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.

While busting out a few of his songs, fans there to watch TS got a totally different kind of show ... the kind you usually need to pay big money to see in L.V.

Check out the video ... it appears a couple was getting down and dirty in one of the hotel rooms overlooking the venue, and they weren't shy whatsoever about having an audience.

Unclear if the couple was aware they were so visible ... but it definitely seems like it'd be obvious that everyone could see them -- hotel room windows aren't usually tinted, people!

Some of the performers apparently addressed the erotic display on the mic ... with one of the performers straight up saying, "That boy's a legend."

People on social media, however, were up in arms ... calling the whole thing uncomfortable and expecting people to have a bit more common courtesy when it comes to those intimate moments.

We don't know if the couple's faced any discipline from the hotel or even the police ... but that wouldn't be entirely unexpected given how much the attendees saw.

Dwayne Johnson popped off over accusations he was booed for not following through on aid to Maui ... calling the claim "false clickbait garbage" in a furious response on X.

Here's the deal ... Nick Sortor -- an internet personality who has appeared on networks like Fox News and Newsmax -- posted a video to Twitter showing people at a WWE event raining jeers down on The Rock.

Sortor claimed these people were berating Johnson for not following through on his promise to aid the island of Maui following the devastating wildfires last summer.

He even pointed to some fans' chanting in the vid ... claiming they were saying "Maui" over and over -- and if you listen to the clip, it does sound like that's exactly what they're yelling.

But, DJ wasn't having this interpretation of events -- instead hopping on X to slam Sortor's analysis and insisting he was being booed for playing "the heel" in a WWE press conference -- professional wrestling-ese for "the villain."

Johnson said he tries to stay above the social media fray generally, but decided to correct Nick because he used "Hawaii's tragic events to draw attention" to himself before explaining his own role of villain at the presser Thursday.

He went on to claim The People's Fund of Maui -- kicked off by himself and Oprah Winfrey in August with a $10 million donation -- has delivered more than $50 million to thousands of survivors who were affected by the fires.

He praised the resilience of those people whose lives were uprooted by the fires and wrote directly to Sortor "instead of posting bulls*** like this that you know is false - I encourage you to post something positive for Hawaii, for our Polynesian American people. Or actually take positive action and come to Hawaii to help out in an uplifting way."

He encouraged Nick to use his platform to lift up the people of Hawaii instead of trying to tear him down ... and apologized to "all our Poly/Hawaiian ohana of Maui, for shining light on this toxicity as you struggle through tough times."

BTW ... Sortor isn't backing down -- responding on X by saying he's also based in Hawaii and Dwayne has his contact info, so he's happy to meet Johnson whenever he wants.

FWIW ... a community note has been added to Sortor's tweet explaining the context of the booing video -- and the crowd may have been shouting "Maui" but that's also The Rock's character's name from the highly popular Disney movie "Moana," so it could've been yelled in a totally different context.

It's Super Bowl Sunday, and the field where the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers are set to face off later this afternoon is pretty much all ready to be trampled on.

Check out these pics of a pretty pristine gridiron over at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas -- where the two teams will file in pretty soon to start warming up for the big game ... not to mention thousands of fans who paid top dollar to be there, nose-bleeds or otherwise.

As you can see, the field has been properly marked and labeled with the Chiefs and 49ers logos on each end ... and workers are adding some finishing touches down there too.

Indeed, it certainly looks Super Bowl ready -- and in about 3 hours, the grass will be totally trashed after a ton of bulky dudes running around and tackling each other. Football, baby!

Anyway, the lockers for each team are also in tip-top shape and all set to be used. The jerseys and helmets are all laid out -- and everyone's got their name above their own locker too. Brock Purdy of the 49ers has his spot already designated, as does everyone else.

It's pretty neat to get a behind-the-scenes look at the quiet before the storm ... right now, it's just personnel people in the building -- but soon, this place is gonna be absolutely packed.

Big day obviously, for a number of reasons. Not only is there a football game to be played -- with a huge halftime show in store -- but everyone's gonna have eyes on Taylor Swift as well.

More specifically ... everyone will be watching to see how she reacts to a potential win or loss, and whether Travis Kelce has any ideas if he's riding high on yet another SB victory.

Donald Trump says he'd be shocked if Taylor Swift endorsed President Joe Biden again ... 'cause Donald says he made her a ton of money -- and implied he expects some loyalty.

The former prez took to Truth Social early Sunday morning and addressed the world's biggest celebrity couple -- as well as rumblings that Taylor would endorse Biden again.

DT started by touting one of his legislative accomplishments ... passing the Music Modernization Act -- a law that basically changed the way songwriters and music publishers are paid certain royalties -- on the whole, it helps artists receive fairer compensation.

The MMA was signed into law in 2018, under 45 ... so he feels he helped make Swift some serious cash -- adding Joe Biden hasn't done "anything for Taylor, and never will."

He then invoked the word "disloyal" ... saying Swift could never turn against "the man who made her so much money."

Trump finished off his post with some complimentary words for Travis Kelce ... saying he quite likes the two-time Super Bowl champ -- even if he is a liberal!

While not outright complimentary of Swift, this seems like a shift away from his campaign's reported strategy regarding the world's biggest pop star.

Remember ... Rolling Stone reported the Trump campaign was preparing for a "holy war" against her. Unclear exactly what that means, but this isn't the blatant condemnation one would expect from holy warriors.

It does seem to draw a line in the sand though ... ex-POTUS expects loyalty -- and it seems like the situation could get messy if T-Swift doesn't kiss the ring.

Taylor endorsed Joe for his 2020 presidential run ... and it seems unlikely she'll back Trump this time, though we suppose anything is possible.

Kickoff is just a few hours away ... but a much bigger battle seems to be brewing on the horizon.

Kim Kardashian and Odell Beckham Jr. have said they're just friends, but there's plenty of smoke that it's more than that ... and this video is adding fuel to what has become a fire.

Kim and Odell were at The Wynn in Las Vegas Saturday night, ahead of Super Bowl LVIII. Kim was shepherded through the hotel with Odell staying close.

You see them both in a crowded elevator, with Kim seemingly hiding in the back.

The duo had just left Michael Rubin's Fanatics Super Bowl party which had tons of stars, including Ice Spice, Khloe Kardashian, Tiffany Haddish, Karrueche Tran and many others.

K&O have never confirmed the relationship, but the dating rumors have been circulating since the Summer ... after his breakup with LoLo Wood.

They were also spotted at a pre-Grammy party last weekend thrown by Jay-Z.

5:49 PM PT -- Taylor’s journey is nearly at an end ... ‘cause she just hopped off the plane -- though her entourage did her best to hide her.

Here’s a snap of the pop star hopping into an SUV ... almost completely covered by a light blue umbrella held by one of her team members and a car door, but we're assured that's her.

The SUV she’s getting into appeared to pull up to the airport not that long ago ... followed by a couple more cars with completely tinted windows -- almost certainly Tay’s motorcade.

Unclear what the next destination might be ... though it seems pretty clear she’s headed to her Bev Hills mansion.

4:00 PM PT -- The plane believed to be carrying Taylor Swift has landed in Los Angeles -- and people were watching far and wide on livestreams that captured the momentous touchdown.

The L.A. Flights YouTube Channel was documenting the whole thing, and captured the moment it hit the ground to the moments it started coming down the taxiway as it went toward a private hangar at LAX. Good angles on the private jet too ... you could totally see it.

One notable thing about the jet was the fact that all the windows were closed as it came in for a landing ... which is interesting. If TayTay's on there, seems she didn't wanna be seen.

Unclear if anyone's gotten off yet ... but everyone's waiting on shots of her leaving the airport at some point -- assuming she doesn't refuel and take off again. Everyone's watching.

We should note ... the scene at LAX is crawling with cops and extra security. Sounds like someone big is in town -- and most everyone believes it's the Princess of Pop herself.

Welp, Taylor Swift's taken off from Tokyo ... and super fans are tracking a plane they're pretty sure she's on -- and from the looks of it, she's headed for Los Angeles, not Las Vegas.

Here's the deal ... a ton of Swifties are tracking a flight that left Tokyo's Haneda Airport at roughly the same time it seems Swift did. Its current destination -- L.A., specifically LAX ... and it's expected to touch down later today.

Let's be clear, we don't know for certain if this is Taylor's jet or not -- this isn't the one she normally uses, it seems -- but all signs point to this being an aircraft carrying the superstar back stateside ... closer to her Bev Hills home, as opposed to Vegas ... where Travis Kelce and co. obviously are right now. So the question ... why would she be landing in L.A.?

Well, frankly ... there are a number of reasons Taylor might be stopping in the City of Angels before heading on to Sin City -- but some theories make a lot more sense than others.

First and foremost ... the issue of customs has been raised by some as a possible reason she's stopping off in L.A. first. Taylor's coming back from a foreign country, and even mega pop stars need to have their planes checked by customs agents -- something a handful of fans are theorizing she needs to do in L.A. ... y'know since it's a big airport and all.

Turns out, that's unlikely. We've looked up official FAA guidelines, and they state you only have to land at a point of entry to get back to the U.S. after flying in from a foreign country -- and turns out, Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport fits the bill -- it's listed as one of those points of entry she could use. Customs could easily check her if she landed in Vegas.

A more feasible reason she ain't going straight to Vegas ... the airport in Vegas is running out of parking spots for private planes -- possibly the biggest first-world problem in history.

Check out this pic from a local Vegas social account ... the airport's packed to the gills, and The Athletic reports spots for private planes were all snatched up at least several weeks before Super Bowl weekend ... so, any procrastinating jet setters are out of luck.

Now we know Taylor's team isn't like that -- she may well have secured her spot a while ago -- but there's still a major parking issue for PJs at the airport ... tons of NFL players, execs and other celebs are flying in, so they're taking up a lot of space.

Reports have suggested Taylor could still fly in and land at Harry Reid if she was dead-set on doing so, but her jet might not be able to stay if she didn't lock down a parking spot already -- so it'd potentially have to be a quick drive-by/drop-off type deal if she was insistent on it.

But let's be real ... it's Taylor freakin' Swift, y'all -- if she wants a spot at the Vegas airport, she's getting one, so we don't think a parking situation is truly keeping her outta town.

Now, for a much more likely explanation for why TS might skip heading to Vegas tonight ... TMZ has confirmed the existence of a particular rule in the NFL -- namely, players are NOT allowed to stay with wives/GFs the night before games -- any games. And you bet your ass that goes double for Super Bowl week ... and we're hearing in its full effect this week.

We don't know if this is a league-wide mandate, if it varies from team to team, or even if it's just an unwritten rule passed down over time -- all we know for certain is that when it comes to Super Bowl Sunday, the players are basically on lockdown for the wee hours of the night.

As it pertains to Taylor Swift ... flying hours and hours to see her man, Travis, play seems to be the bigger deal here -- and while we're sure she'd love to see him as much as possible beforehand, there's not much of an incentive to rush to Vegas with such strict restrictions.

Now, Taylor's got a house here in town (L.A.) ... so if she isn't heading straight to Vegas from L.A. later this afternoon -- which is when she's expected to land -- she can presumably rest up after a tiring journey and make the easy hour-long flight to Vegas tomorrow AM.

She'll still be able to land way before kickoff, meet up with her and Travis' families at the suite he paid for and probably feel a whole heck of a lot better before cheering her head off.

T-Swift's a woman of mystery when it comes to travel ... and she could surprise us all by actually going to Vegas tonight -- so we'll just have to wait and see what Taylor decides.