Kansas City Chiefs’ 2012 Schedule Explained
The Kansas City Chiefs still have one game to go but with the team now eliminated from playoff contention, it is time to slowly start turning our attention toward the 2012 season.
There are a lot of giant question marks hanging over the team this offseason. We’ll have plenty of time to discuss who the head coach will be, who the QB will be and how many prime time games, if any, the Chiefs will be given by the NFL.
For now though, let’s take a look at the team’s list of opponents. The 2012 NFL schedule won’t be released for a few months but we can tell you most of the teams the Chiefs will be playing in 2012.
Find out, after the jump.
The NFL determines their schedule based on a rotating formula. The Chiefs play their division opponents twice each year. That accounts for six of their 16 games. Then they play one whole division from each conference. This rotates every year and never changes. For instance, this season the Chiefs played the AFC East (Pats, Phins, Jets and Bills) in the AFC and the NFC North (Vikes, Pack, Lions and Bears) in the NFC. That accounted for eight more games.
That means 14 of KC’s 16 opponents are decided ahead of time. You can look as far into the future as you like to determine almost all of KC’s schedule every year.
There is a common misconception among fans that a team’s record from the previous year has a drastic impact on it’s schedule the following year. Many fans think that if their team finishes with a poor record that they can expect a really easy schedule the next season. This really isn’t true. As we’ve already shown you, 14 of the 16 games are determined in advance. The entire division plays those games. Meaning despite the fact that the Chiefs finished in first place in the AFC West last season and the Broncos finished in last, they both played nearly identical schedules. Both teams played the Raiders, Chargers, Pats, Jets, Phins, Bills, Lions, Bears, Packers and Vikings.
Only two games of a team’s schedule are based on their record from the previous year. In fact, record has nothing to do with it. All that matters is what place in the AFC West a team finishes.
Last year, the Chiefs finished in first in the AFC West. We just learned that 14 of their 16 games were determined in advance. The way that the NFL decides the remaining two games is simple. The Chiefs, because they finished in first, were assigned the other two first place teams from the AFC divisions they were not already scheduled to play.
Thus the Chiefs were scheduled to play all the AFC West teams twice, all the NFC North and AFC East teams and the 2010 first place teams from the AFC North and the AFC South. That turned out to be the Steelers and the Colts.
This is a perfect example of why even a last place finish doesn’t guarantee you an easy schedule. It turned out this season that the Colts stunk. Had the Chiefs finished in second place in 2010 instead of first, they would have had to play the Baltimore Ravens instead of the Steelers? Not much of a difference there.
So keep in mind that the Chiefs will play a nearly identical slate of games as the rest of the AFC West in 2012 and that there is no telling how difficult a team will be from year to year.
That all being said, we can now determine with pretty thorough accuracy, which teams the Chiefs will face in 2012. Here we go.
Will face:
Chargers (x2)
Broncos (x2)
Raiders (x2)
NFC South:
Saints
Falcons
Bucs
Panthers
AFC North:
Steelers
Ravens
Bengals
Browns
That accounts for 14 games right there. That means the Chiefs will play one team from the AFC East and the AFC South to determine the rest of their schedule.
Right now the Chiefs are in last place in the AFC West. If they win next week and the Chargers lose, the Chiefs will move into third place based on a tie breaker with San Diego. If they lose or if San Diego wins, the Chiefs will finish last in the West.
If KC finishes last, they will play the Colts for sure and either the Dolphins or Bills.
If KC finishes in third, they will play the Jaguars for sure and either the Dolphins or the Bills.
The Bills currently have a better record than the Dolphins, however, if they finish with the same record, the Dolphins move into third place based on their season sweep of Buffalo.
So to review, here are the Chiefs’ 2012 opponents:
Chargers
Broncos
Raiders
Saints
Falcons
Panthers
Bucs
Steelers
Ravens
Bengals
Browns
Colts or Jaguars
Dolphins or Bills
Things can change from year to year but that schedule looks just as tough to me as the one the Chiefs played this season. The Steelers, Ravens, Falcons and Saints are all legit Super Bowl contenders. The Bengals are a potential playoff team and are led by a rookie QB and WR. The Panthers and Cam Newton are incredibly dangerous and are finding their stride. Lastly, the Dolphins and Bills whipped the Chiefs this year and the Colts could be getting Peyton Manning back.
I guess the lesson here is that there are no easy games in the NFL. Still, if the Chiefs can find a way to navigate this schedule next season, they’ll likely be a very good team.
Note: The NFL also determines where these games will be played in advance.* The Chiefs will play the Bengals, Ravens, Falcons, Panthers and either the Jags or Colts at home and the Steelers, Browns, Saints, Bucs and either the Bills or Dolphins away. The NFL schedule formula ensures that each team will play in all the other teams’ stadiums at least once every eight years.
*The Chiefs could potentially play in one of the NFL’s “Super Away Games” in London or Canada or where ever…