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The Kansas City Chiefs’ 2021 May Be Getting Even Tougher, Thanks to a Potential Change to the NFL Schedule

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Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs is taken to the ground during Super Bowl 55.

Ever since Patrick Mahomes took over the starting job, the Kansas City Chiefs risen to the top of the NFL power rankings. While the team did manage to lift the Lombardi Trophy in February 2020, things haven’t only been sunshine and rainbows. The Chiefs, of course, were embarrassed in Super Bowl 55 and have had a mixed start to the 2021 offseason.

Things could still be getting worse for the Kansas City Chiefs, though, As of now, it seems like the NFL schedule could have added another challenge to the club’s 2021 campaign.

The Kansas City Chiefs haven’t had the best 2021

Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs is taken to the ground during Super Bowl 55.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is taken down during Super Bowl 55. | Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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Barring a few playoff games, there hasn’t been much professional football played in the year 2021. The Kansas City Chiefs, however, have still suffered through a tough start to the year.

While the Chiefs did make it to the Super Bowl, the big game proved to be nothing short of a disaster. Kansas City’s patchwork offensive line couldn’t handle the Buccaneers pressure, leaving Patrick Mahomes to run for his life all evening long; that, combined with Andy Reid’s inability to adjust on the fly, was a recipe for an embarrassing defeat.

Since then, things haven’t exactly improved. The Chiefs cut two of their starting linemen—Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz—early in the offseason. While the club did bring in Kyle Long and Joe Tunney, there are still questions about Patrick Mahomes’ protection heading into the 2021 campaign.

Elsewhere in free agency, the Chiefs performance has been somewhat of a mixed bag. While the team has brought in some quality additions, like Jarran Reed, Kansas City did whiff on some big-time targets, like JuJu Smith-Schuster.

On the whole, it’s still tough to be too concerned about the Kansas City Chiefs falling off the map. Their 2021, however, hasn’t really seen them gain ground on the competition.

The NFL schedule makers could make the Chiefs’ 2021 even tougher

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Given the sheer profitability of the NFL, adding more games to the schedule has seemed inevitable. Now, that change seems poised to finally take place. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted the league is expected to make the move official in the coming days, adding a 17th regular-season game to the 2021 campaign.

While nothing is official yet, we have gotten a look at the expected slate of games for that extra week of NFL action. As seen in a graphic tweeted by Field Yates, it seems like the Kansas City Chiefs will be hosting the Green Bay Packers in Week 18.

It goes without saying that match-up will be gold for whichever network scores the broadcast rights; fans around the country will gladly sit down to watch Patrick Mahomes duel with Aaron Rodgers for 60 minutes. With that being said, though, it’s still a tough break for the Chiefs.

Assuming the early reports are accurate, the Chargers will be hosting the Vikings in Week 18. The Broncos will play at home against the Lions, while the Raiders will receive a visit from the Chicago Bears. While it’s impossible to predict what will or won’t happen during an NFL season, it seems pretty safe to say the rest of the AFC will have an easier extra game than the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs should still be good enough to overcome that change to the NFL schedule

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In isolation, it’s easy to see how that 17th game could cause competitive issues; if the season comes down to the final game, you’d much rather be facing the Lions than the Packers. The Kansas City Chiefs, however, don’t need to panic just yet.

As noted above, 2021 hasn’t been ideal for the Chiefs; they were embarrassed during the Super Bowl and haven’t knocked free agency out of the park. With that being said, though, this is still the team that reached three-straight AFC title games and appeared in back-to-back Super Bowls.

Even if his offensive line is a bit iffy, Patrick Mahomes is still one of modern football’s elite talents. The quarterback also has Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire at his disposal; even if the Chiefs don’t add any additional reinforcements, that trio would be the envy of most NFL teams.

While Kansas City’s defensive unit might not be as impressive, the team does boast a few legitimate game-changers on that side of the ball. If nothing else, they should be good enough to keep the Chiefs in the game, which is all the help Mahomes really needs.

Getting a date with the Green Bay Packers added to their schedule isn’t something that the Kansas City Chiefs will be thrilled about, given their tough start to 2021. If they want to win another Super Bowl title, though, an extra, albeit challenging, regular season game shouldn’t be an insurmountable obstacle.

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Joe Kozlowski
Sports Editor

Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sportscasting, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.

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Author photo
Joe Kozlowski Sports Editor

Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sportscasting, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.

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