The 2018 regular season schedule is officially out for every team and the Chiefs are on primetime five times. Here’s a rundown of the five games.
The Kansas City Chiefs led the NFL last season with six total appearances on primetime television, a slate that included a season-opening shocker of a win ove the New England Patriots at home. One year later, even with another one-and-done playoff turn and a new quarterback under center, the Chiefs are once again among the NFL’s most featured teams with another five appearances in primetime—tied for the NFL lead.
Flex scheduling always plays a part, so the Chiefs might find themselves in the spotlight even more than this, but at the very least, the team will face several tough games under the lights on Thursday, Sunday and Monday nights this year. Here’s a rundown of the five primetime games for the Chiefs in 2018 as we know them now.
October 1
Monday Night Football
@ Denver Broncos
The very first of Kansas City’s five appearances in primetime begins as it should, against a hated division rival. The Denver Broncos might have been basement dwellers just a year ago, but these games are always tough, as are nearly every AFC West contest. The two teams have a lot of emotion flowing every time they play and this year’s game at Mile High will give Patrick Mahomes a chance to show the Denver crowd what he can do with a first-team offense.
If you remember, Mahomes won his only regular season start last year in Week 17 playing with many second-string players around him against a lot of Denver’s primary defenders. Mahomes pulled off the victory in a week the Chiefs were resting Tyreek Hill, Kareem Hunt, Travis Kelce and others. Imagining all of those players in the line-up with him along with the latest addition of Sammy Watkins could easily lead Chiefs Kingdom to believe this is an easy primetime victory.
That said, the Broncos still have a lot of moves to make before the season starts and the Donkeys had no one under center last year like Case Keenum. Believe what you want about his ceiling away from the Minnesota Vikings, but Keenum is already several times better than Paxton Lynch or Trevor Siemian or any other quarterback the Broncos threw out there last year.
The Broncos have revamped quite a bit of their team with much more to go, but know that better quarterback play will make an always close game even closer.
October 14
Sunday Night Football
@ New England Patriots
Last year, the entire NFL, Chiefs fans included, expected the New England Patriots to welcome the Chiefs to town with a win as they also celebrated their previous year’s Super Bowl victory. Instead, the Chiefs ruined the festivities with a parade of their own, an offensive showcase headed up by Kareem Hunt’s nearly 250 yards from scrimmage in his very first ever professional game. It was the beginning of a magical stretch to open the season in which the Chiefs were the only undefeated team through Week 5.
Can the Chiefs put up 42 points again on Bill Belichick? It’s not likely but consider that they’re upgrading arm strength at quarterback and adding in some more offensive weapons than before with Watkins and the team might be able to put up as many points on the Patriots as last year. Unfortunately defensively the Chiefs are thinner than before, so the Pats might turn this into a showcase of offensive firepower.
If the Chiefs are going to repeat, they’re going to need their pass rush to prove capable against an offensive line that will still be finding its footing after losing Nate Solder to the New York Giants in free agency. If Tanoh Kpassagnon can step up in year two and Dee Ford can return healthy, the Chiefs might just disrupt Tom Brady’s timing enough to pull it out. Either way, no one expects this to be an easy game at all, despite last year’s end result.
November 19
Monday Night Football
@ Los Angeles Rams (Mexico City)
Is this the Marcus Peters game? The Sammy Watkins game? The young offenses game? There are a lot of subplots here for two young teams aiming for the postseason who are meeting up in Mexico City.
For the Chiefs, it will be their first time ever playing against ballhawk Marcus Peters, an uber-talented player who undoubtedly will be looking to force turnovers against the team that traded him for pennies on the dollar. When Peters is motivated, there’s not a single defensive back who can match his impact on the field and you’d better believe Peters will be motivated.
Another player who will be motivated is Sammy Watkins. The Chiefs paid handsomely for his services while the Rams let him walk in free agency instead of tagging him and working out a long-term deal. Watkins has had his detractors this offseason due to the expensive deal he signed, but the Chiefs are hoping the mismatches he creates in the end zone can help their inefficiency when in the red zone.
More than those two players, the Chiefs and Rams are both employing bright young quarterbacks on the cheap while enjoying the financial fruits of being able to bring in players around him. The Rams will be fun to watch after trading for Brandin Cooks, signing Ndamukong Suh and more. Expect a tough game played south of the border that will be hard to predict either way.
December 13
Thursday Night Football
L.A. Chargers (at home)
The Chiefs only primetime appearance at home comes on a shortened week against a division rival. The Chiefs have owned the Chargers for the last few years under Andy Reid, but the Chargers found some serious momentum as last season went on and many of their losses came down to the kicking game. They likely would have made the postseason last year if not for special teams concerns, so expect Anthony Lynn to have some things figured out in year two.
Philip Rivers should enjoy the presence of Mike Pouncey up front and the Chargers young offense will also have draft picks as well as the return of last yer’s top choice Mike Williams after dealing with injury concerns last year. The team’s offense will challenge the Chiefs downfield until the revamped secondary has proven itself.
Fortunately by December, the Chiefs should have some things figured out or some holes patched. Still as a division contest, these are always close. Expect a win for the Chiefs at home, but it should be a nailbiter.
December 23
Sunday Night Football
@ Seattle Seahawks
The final primetime game for the Chiefs is going to be a tough one on the West Coast as the Chiefs take to Seattle to visit the host Seahawks. Pete Carroll is an excellent coach who is leading a team changing on the fly, moving from an aging defense that experienced Super Bowl glory to an up-and-coming unit armed with plenty of speed and athleticism.
At this point in the season, injuries will be taking a serious toll, so the game might come down to which team is the healthiest, but the Seahawks will have figured out how to use younger and newer pieces in the secondary to their best effort. (Remember they lost Jeremy Lane, Richard Sherman, Deshean Shead and more) Barkevious Mingo will also be interesting to watch in Seattle as they ingratiate him on the defensive side.
The Seahawks have added some pieces already to the line as they continue to try to figure out the best five to put in front of Russell Wilson, including D.J. Fluker. If they can’t figure it out, the Chiefs best chances will come if Justin Houston and company can feast on weaker tackles.