A Kansas City Chiefs fans rooting guide for the bye week

With the Kansas City Chiefs on a bye week, the Kingdom finds themselves looking for teams to root for. Here’s our breakdown to help you through Week 12.

The NFL playoffs are quickly approaching, which means it is time to start talking scenarios and watching the top six of each conference very closely. One game can be the difference between playing football and playing Madden in January.

That is especially true for the Chiefs, who currently sit at the number four seed. Not only are they down to a one-game lead atop the AFC West, the same one-game margin separates them from being out of the playoffs altogether. More optimistically, the Chiefs are only one game away from the number 3 seed and only 2 games away from a first-round bye.

What games have the biggest impact on the Chiefs playoff standings this upcoming Sunday? With no Chiefs’ football to watch, who should the Kingdom use their game day energy rooting for to best help the Chiefs?

Oakland Raiders @ New York Jets

The Raiders have managed to put together a nice season thus far, holding onto a second-place spot in the AFC West and pushing heavily for the top spot. Add on the fact that the Raiders have an extremely soft schedule through December, and the Raiders may very well be the most important team to watch in Week 12.

The Jets however, though not entirely eliminated from the playoffs, do not appear to have any playoff ramifications. But Adam Gase does need to prove himself as he sits on the brink of losing his coaching gig yet again. That is without mentioning how likely it looks that we will be seeing Trevor Lawrence in a Jets uniform in a couple seasons unless Sam Darnold decides to suddenly turn it around.

The Chiefs could use some cushioning atop the AFC West. One game is too close of a lead, especially with Week 14’s matchup against the Patriots looming large. Lean into your instincts and let your hatred out.

Denver Broncos @ Buffalo Bills

This one maybe a hard pill to swallow but listen for a second. There exists a possibility for the Chiefs to gain the number one seed in the conference. It’s likelier than you might believe with the Patriots having a tough schedule the next few weeks and the Ravens losing the matchup against the Chiefs in Week 3 with some tough matchups approaching.

No matter the circumstances to get the Chiefs to the top, through all the changing variables and numbers, the Buffalo Bills are the most important team to the Chiefs right now.

The Chiefs need the Bills to win two key games in the remaining weeks, one against the Patriots and one against the Ravens. However, they also need the Bills to lose at least one more game, but preferably two. This is an ideal spot for that to happen. The Broncos however present very little threat to the Chiefs playoff chances. A win here would even hurt the Broncos draft positioning, hopefully moving them out of position for a good QB.

As hard as it may be, as much as it may fight against tradition, the Chiefs need the Broncos to win this game. (Rooting for the Bills to stay healthy is also very important in this matchup)

Dallas Cowboys @ New England Patriots

This is self-explanatory. The Patriots have the number one seed, and the Chiefs want/need that. The only way to get it is if the Patriots lose some games. As soft as the Patriots schedule has been all season, it will be interesting to see how this Patriots team holds up to a team with the desire and ability to win.

Green Bay Packers @ San Francisco 49ers

This game has no bearing on the Chiefs but should be some good football with the number one seed in the NFC on the line. Watch this one if you like football. It will also be the only game on at the time.

Baltimore Ravens @ Los Angeles Rams

The Chiefs could really use a bye week going into the playoffs. Time to get healthy, time for Big Red to scheme up a game plan. It is just ideal for the Chiefs. Thankfully, the second seed in the AFC is only two games away, and the Chiefs have the tiebreaker with the current No. 2 seed in the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens.

Thus, the Chiefs need the Ravens to drop some games, and what better team to rely on than the team that handed K.C. a loss just a season ago in a primetime thriller: the L.A. Rams. That team was able to stand toe-to-toe with the Chiefs’ high-powered offense, led by the MVP front runner, and deliver when it mattered the most. That was also a Monday night game.

Yes, the Rams have serious issues plaguing them this season, but somewhere inside, that team that went all the way to the Super Bowl is still there. The Kingdom needs to help the Rams find that team and we’ll be cheering for them to topple the Ravens.