- It’s not as bad as everyone is making it out to be.
Competitively: The Chiefs under HC Andy Reid are 8-4 on the road. They were 6-2 on the road last last season, and this season the Chiefs only road losses were at Denver and at San Francisco – games in which probably no road team in the league would be favored. And, just because the Chiefs lose home-field advantage in London doesn’t mean the opponent gains it. Detroit will have no particular advantage in the game itself.
Oct 19, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid chews on gum as he walks off the field during the second quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
On the loss of a home game generally: I can see how Jackson County taxpayers are taking the move as a punch in the gut just five years after ponying up $250 million for Arrowhead’s renovation. But, this is just one game. In the grand scheme of things it really doesn’t represent much lost value for those renovations unless the stadium crumbles into dust immediately after the London game, making the lost home game one of 50-odd games the venue would have hosted before disappearing. Those renovations were an investment for hundreds of Chiefs games to come plus countless concerts and other events.
Season-ticket holders are not going to be charged for the game, and tailgaters can still tailgate the watch party that weekend.