A Chiefs’ fan guide on NFL games to watch during the bye week

We look across the rest of the NFL and find the most interesting games for Chiefs fans to watch.

The Kansas City Chiefs are entering this weekend’s bye with an impressive 8-1 record, comfortably seated on top of the AFC West and currently in a close second place in the AFC’s playoff seeding. The Chiefs are rolling, playing offensive football reminiscent of their 2018 campaign, with a pass defense that is one of the best in the league. With the bye week, the Chiefs can get some players healthy and get even better for the second half of the season.

As we enter the second half of the season, all eyes start shifting to January and the playoffs, and that also means looking closely at playoff seeding. No team is truly out of the race yet, and any outcome is possible, something Chiefs fans may know after the dramatic finale of 2019’s regular season.

There are going to be quite a few important games this weekend for Kansas City, many of which are made important due to their impact on the overall standings. So let’s break down the games that Chiefs’ fans need to keep an eye on this weekend and which teams to root for to get the most optimal result for K.C. Let’s begin with another Panthers game.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers

The second half of the Chiefs schedule is looking rougher every day that passes. The Miami Dolphins are becoming a contender under everyone’s radar. The New Orleans Saints have one of the deepest receiving corps in NFL history. The Atlanta Falcons are on a winning streak and starting to gel as a team, and the Las Vegas Raiders have already taken a game from the defending champions.

However, the most daunting matchup is the Chiefs trip to Tampa Bay in two weeks to take on Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Chiefs cannot overlook next week’s game against the Raiders—that is how you get swept by a divisional opponent—but they need to already be preparing for what maybe the most exciting game left on the schedule. This includes closely watching the Bucs, seeing what makes them tick, and figuring out how to exploit their weaknesses with the Chiefs’ available weapons.

The biggest thing to watch in this game is obviously going to be Brady, who is continuing the regression we witnessed last season. He is throwing bad passes way too often, and in a game that could see L’Jarius Sneed (if back from injury) and Bashaud Breeland (2 of the 4 best players in the league this season in terms of QBR allowed) starting at corner, that could easily mean a great day for the Chiefs secondary.

Also, this should just be a good football game, so it is definitely worth watching.