KC Chiefs’ success makes it hard to get a good night’s sleep

Fans of the Kansas City Chiefs and overall good football keep losing more sleep with another Chiefs primetime game.

Back when the Kansas City Chiefs were at the bottom of the NFL, primetime games were fewer and farther between. As a younger fan, it was frustrating and seemed very unfair. I wanted to see my favorite team get the spotlight more often. But, as I have grown older and wiser at 25 years of age, I understand that good football sells, and the Chiefs were not always a good football team to watch. NBC executives realize the same thing, but the Chiefs’ recent successes give them the spotlight more often.

ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday that Kansas City’s Week 11 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers was now Sunday’s primetime game on NBC. This is the first NFL schedule flex in the 2022 season. Football fans are certainly grateful that Sunday Night Football will no longer be the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers. But, especially for Chiefs fans, another night game is no easy task.

Arrowhead Addicts have spoken up about their distaste for primetime games, citing a lack of sleep and change in schedule. While New York Jets fans cry about not having Sunday Night Football against the New England Patriots, the fact is the Chiefs sell.

The Week 2 matchup between Kansas City and Los Angeles was the most watched Thursday Night Football game since the move to Amazon Prime, by a wide margin. Why wouldn’t a channel’s executives, whose bottom line relies on viewers, maximize their investment by putting a marquee football matchup in the marquee spot? It all makes business sense, but little sense to Denver Broncos fans who worry they will miss out on Sunday Night Football.

For what it is worth, we East Coast Chiefs fans are struggling. Going to bed after midnight to watch Kansas City win is unsustainable. My boss knows exactly why I am dragging Monday morning after the Chiefs play in primetime, but it is a fair price to pay after seeing Kansas City without a spotlight for many years.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ games against the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers were the most watched games in their respective weeks. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is a popular player and currently leads NFL players in jersey sales. DJ Khaled once released an album called “Suffering from Success”. Chiefs fans can relate to some of the non-explicit lyrics, including:

"Boy I’m too stressed, so blessedPlease somebody pray for me, I’m suffering from success"

So, put down the beer and put the coffee on next week. Adjust your sleep schedules accordingly. If needed, just call out of work on Nov. 21. Chiefs fans will lose out on more sleep, for all the right reasons. The Chiefs are successful, and football fans suffer.