Did the NFL mess up by putting the KC Chiefs playoff game on Peacock?

With the Kansas City Chiefs slated to take on the Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card round of this year's NFL Playoffs, everyone is excited to see Patrick Mahomes and company take on Tyreek Hill in his return to Arrowhead Stadium for the first time since being traded.

There's just one problem. You're not going to be able to watch the game unless you live in the Kansas City area or you're subscribed to Peacock, NBC's streaming service, where the game will be featured exclusively to Peacock users.

Unsurprisingly, a lot of NFL fans are upset that the game is only going to be on Peacock and not easily accessible.

Chiefs fans and alike aren't the only ones not happy about appearing on Peacock, though, even Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Charles Omenihu gave his thoughts on his team's game being a Peacock exclusive.

Is the NFL messing up by putting KC Chiefs on Peacock?

It's truly no wonder why people are upset that they now have to subscribe to an individual streaming service just to watch their team play. Many of us already pay for YouTube TV, cable, or some other streaming service to ensure we can watch football and now the NFL wants to add to our tab by offering up individual games to streaming services that force fans to get their wallet out again. Most of us only plan on using the service once anyway to watch the game.

Unfortunately, this seems to be where football and streaming are headed. This was evident when Amazon Prime was given the rights to Thursday Night Football, which opened the door for other streaming services to broadcast NFL games. You can't blame streaming services because the NFL is a massive draw and they know a majority of fans will do whatever it takes to watch their team. Fans will likely have to pay for other streaming services a couple of times a year for select games.

That's exactly why the NFL is putting the Chiefs on Peacock. A lot of people complaining are coming from the angle of "Why is the NFL putting Patrick Mahomes on Peacock where nobody can watch?" but the truth is the NFL knows exactly what it is doing here. They want to put a game on Peacock that they know is going to be desired by most NFL fans. Patrick Mahomes is one of the NFL's biggest draws and a game versus the high-flying Miami Dolphins in Tyreek Hill's return to Kansas City is surely going to have NFL fans flocking to the streaming service. They wouldn't put just any random Wild Card game on Peacock; otherwise, the ratings would be underwhelming.

While it isn't ideal for us typical fans who now have to sign up for yet another streaming service just to watch our team for one game, we're all probably going to do it. That is, unless your local Buffalo Wild Wings or sports bar plans on showing the game so that you avoid paying for Peacock. (Thank me later!)

As for the NFL, people are going to continue to bash them for putting a highly-anticipated matchup involving the reigning Super Bowl champions exclusively on Peacock. That's only because fans know how big of a game it is. Someone had to get the Peacock game but it was never going to be a throwaway game for the NFL just to satisfy their agreement.

This is the new reality for NFL fans as streaming services continue to grow in popularity. As long as we the fans are willing to pay for it and go to any length to watch our team, the NFL is going to continue dishing out its games to exclusive streaming services.