Kansas City Chiefs schedule shows the NFL believes in their playoff chances
The Kansas City Chiefs are set to be featured on primetime quite a lot, once again. They’ll play on prime time twice late in the season.
The Kansas City Chiefs have one of the hardest schedules in the NFL in 2018, especially on the road. But Chiefs fans shouldn’t let that get in the way of their expectations for the team this season. The Chiefs have defeated each of the two teams that eventually went on to play in the Super Bowl each of the last two seasons.
Winning the AFC West in back-to-back years for the first time in franchise history, the Kansas City Chiefs are expected to compete for the division title again. But based on how the NFL put together the Chiefs schedule, there is a big reason to believe that the league thinks highly of the Chiefs and is holding them to high standards.
The NFL flexed the first meeting between the Chiefs and Denver Broncos to Sunday Night Football in 2016. It paid off after then-kicker Cairo Santos barely made the game-winning field goal as time expired in overtime in a thriller. Then-rookie Tyreek Hill showcased his speed on offense and special teams in all three primetime games that season for the Chiefs, making him one of the most exciting players to watch.
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That made the NFL give the Chiefs six primetime games in 2017, including the kickoff game in New England. The six primetime games were the most the Chiefs ever received in a single season.
This time, the NFL scheduled the Chiefs in five primetime games, tying nine others for most primetime appearances. The NFL scheduled the Chiefs to play on primetime in back-to-back weeks in December.
With the playoff race heating up in the final month of the season, the NFL wants their December primetime games to be significant and meaningful for fans to watch. By giving the Chiefs a Thursday night game at home in Week 15 against the Chargers and a Sunday night game in Seattle 10 nights later, the NFL expects the Chiefs to be very good.
With Week 17’s Sunday night game currently unknown, there is a possibility the Chiefs and Raiders play on Sunday night. If the top spot in the AFC West is still up for grabs between the Chiefs and Raiders, the NFL should strongly consider flexing that game to Sunday night. If they do so, that would put the Chiefs on primetime for three consecutive weeks to end the regular season.
The last two playoff appearances have not been kind to the Chiefs. But with Pat Mahomes as the new quarterback, maybe things will go in a new direction. The NFL certainly thinks the Chiefs will do great, and possibly improve, if it puts the Chiefs on primetime five times, including two late in the season.