Should KC Chiefs include Week 2 in their Week 1 approach?

The Kansas City Chiefs are in the process of formulating the game plan for their very first game of the season when they travel to Glendale, Arizona to take on the Cardinals. Kansas City then has to immediately turn around and host the Los Angeles Chargers for Thursday Night Football four days later. Playing on Thursday is never fun but is it an advantage to have the game this early in the season? Also, should Kansas City already plan for the Week 2 game as a part of their Week 1 approach?

To answer the first question, yes I believe that it is an advantage to get their annual Thursday Night Football game out of the way almost immediately. It’s not all positive but I do think that it is best to get it knocked out early. First, the Chiefs will likely be at their healthiest (*knock on wood*) so the short week will not be as big of a disservice to them as it was last year when Chris Jones was out due to COVID, for example. That also means that the Chiefs are guaranteed at least six days of rest for every other game this season, barring any unforeseen circumstance, and rest is more important as we get deeper into this season.

The Chiefs also have the advantage of being at home for the game on Thursday night, contrary to last season against the Chargers. Because of this, Kansas City won’t lose a half day of prep for travel reasons. They can spend Monday through Wednesday preparing for the game and don’t have to waste half a day moving the team halfway across the country. Lastly, this applies to every Thursday Night Football game, but they get the advantage of the mini-bye and having ten days off before they have to play a very good Indianapolis Colts team in Week 3.

With their first game right around the corner, should the KC Chiefs alter their approach in any for Week 1 in preparation for the game on Thursday?

The next question is a little bit more tricky to answer, but should the Chiefs already plan for Week 2 as a part of their Week 1 approach? I’m conflicted about this topic. On one hand, the game against the Chargers is clearly the more important game on their schedule, but it’s also crucial to avoid a letdown on Sunday if they are looking ahead to Thursday. Although the second game is more important, losing against Arizona would also cause problems for Kansas City. The Chiefs would obviously rather go into the Chargers game 1-0 than 0-1, but at the same time, Kansas City would rather go 1-1 through two weeks with a loss against Arizona than 1-1 with a loss against Los Angeles.

If the Chiefs were to alter their approach to Week 1, how would they go about doing so? Since there are more than two weeks between the final preseason game and Week 1 for Kansas City, the Chiefs may be able to get away with having a few lower-level coaches doing some early preparation for the Chargers this week. This could range from a deep film study this week of Los Angeles to watching the Las Vegas/Los Angeles Week 1 game on the plane ride home instead of their own film. The Chiefs may also choose to rest starters, if the game is out of hand in their favor, or run more conservative plays on offense if they are up late to avoid risking important players getting injured.

In conclusion, if it were up to me (and I am nowhere near a football professional), I would keep Kansas City’s focus completely on the Arizona Cardinals until the game is over, and then start preparing for the Chargers. I would also assign a couple of coaches or interns to study the Chargers film this week while traveling back home. I may even have an intern, or another lower-level coach or employee, watch the Raiders/Chargers game live and take notes so Andy Reid and Co. can hit the ground running when they begin their Week 2 prep. But in the end, getting the Los Angeles Chargers Week 2 on Thursday could be a blessing and it could also be a curse.

How the Chiefs approach this week against Arizona, and whether they choose to start looking ahead to Thursday against Los Angeles, will be important as Week 2 could be one of their most impactful games of the season when it comes to determining who wins the AFC West. If the Chargers lose to Las Vegas in Week 1 and the Chiefs beat Arizona, a Week 2 win for Kansas City could be catastrophic for Los Angeles’ hopes for a divisional title.