KC Chiefs: 3 easiest games on the 2022 schedule
By Jacob Milham
The Kansas City Chiefs 2022 season opener cannot come soon enough. At this point in the offseason, what games look like easy wins?
The 2022 NFL season is now less than 100 days away. Football fans need to only survive the dog days of summer to reach the promised land. The Kansas City Chiefs are currently facilitating offseason workouts for players, leading to mandatory minicamp June 14-16.
When the 2022 NFL schedule dropped, it was laden with playoff and Super Bowl contenders. According to The Athletic, the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers are tied for the fifth-hardest schedule in 2022. Kansas City will face both teams from Super Bowl LVI, Super Bowl LV champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and many more. The 18-week schedule will be unkind if the Chiefs stumble at the season’s start as they did in 2021.
Still, the Chiefs should enter each respective game as the favorites. Kansas City was never an underdog before a game in 2021, according to StatMuse. Depending on how the season progresses, that trend could continue in 2022. The Chiefs are already the slight favorites to win their Week 1 game against the Arizona Cardinals. Odds are not set yet against more competitive opponents, such as the Buffalo Bills in Week 6 or the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12.
The schedule cannot be completely filled with contenders though. While the majority of opponents will challenge Kansas City, some will not. What games should be locked for the Chiefs, and why are those opponents so weak?
Dec. 18 at Houston Texans
Not long ago, the Houston Texans competed against the Chiefs in the postseason. It took a miraculous comeback in the 2019 postseason for Kansas City to win, and the two teams could have been butting heads for years to come. Fast forward to 2022, the Texans are amongst the league’s worst teams.
Houston is obviously rebuilding, instigated by former quarterback Deshaun Watson’s legal trouble. After Houston traded Watson, they have a clear intention and capital to tank this year. That is just how the NFL machine works. But, a late-season matchup against a contending Chiefs team does not bode well for the Texans. The team intends to give quarterback Davis Mills a chance this year, despite a depleted supporting cast.
The last time Kansas City lost to Houston was on Oct. 13, 2019, by a 31-24 score. The Texans also beat the Chiefs in Houston on Sept. 18, 2016. Those are the only two times Kansas City has lost to Houston since 2010. The all-time series favors the Chiefs, as the team looks to beat the Texans for the ninth time.
The Chiefs have every positional advantage over the Texans in 2022. These two teams are on very different paths for the 2022 season, that is apparent. If the Texans trade or release more veterans, this game will get uglier and uglier. If this game was at Arrowhead, it could be a blowout. It will still likely be a blowout in Houston, sending Chiefs fans home happy.