Kansas City Chiefs catch tough break with bye week in 2024

The early bye week for the Chiefs is not optimal, providing yet another hurdle for the team's attempt at a historic three-peat.

It was no secret that this season was going to be an incredibly tough one for the Kansas City Chiefs. But even the structure of this season's schedule is providing more hurdles than expected.

The schedule is out for the 2024 regular season in the NFL and the Chiefs not only face an incredibly tough slate from the first week but they've also been challenged by the placement of the bye week.

Over the last couple of years, the Chiefs have enjoyed one of the later bye weeks a team can get. That's allowed the team a true mid-season or even late-season respite from the grind of a long year. Given that injuries accrue and fatigue sets in over time, a bye week placed around Week 9 or later is optimal to allow players to rest and recuperate.

This year, the Chiefs have a bye week in Week 6, which means they'll have just over a month's worth of games under their belt before getting some time off. No doubt, they'll appreciate any break they can get once the season gets underway but that means the Chiefs will go without a major pause between a major clash wit the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7 and 10 subsequent games fighting for playoff positioning in a crowded AFC.

Often a season comes down to factors a team cannot control like injury and luck but a bye week placed at an ideal time can at least help a team steer itself a bit better through that turbulence. The Chiefs' coaches and training staff might be challenged more this season than they've been in years knowing they're expected to play several more games than most other teams.

If the Chiefs cannot get the first-round bye up for grabs for the top team in the AFC, they'll go without a break from mid-October to mid-February. That is quite a gauntlet for any team, even one as talented as the Chiefs.