Chiefs Schedule Release: What to look for
The release of the NFL schedule is tonight. Kansas City Chiefs fans will find out when the Chiefs are playing during the 2022 NFL season.
Tonight at 8:00 pm Eastern Time the NFL is releasing the entire 2022 regular season schedule. Every team already knows which opponents they are playing, but don’t know when they are playing those opponents. Tonight we will find out when the Kansas City Chiefs are hosting the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams. Also, when Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs will get revenge on the Cincinnati Bengals. It is exciting to see the matchups and when they occur, but I have a few things that I look for when the schedule initially releases.
Bye Week
The Bye Week is the first thing I look for when looking at the schedule. It is typically something that the players enjoy and care more about than the fans, but it should really matter to the fans too. I always love the bye week later in the season, Week 11 or 12 is the ideal week. This gives the team a consistent stretch of football to start the season. They get into a groove before having a rest period for the stretch run of the season. We have seen late byes pay dividends for the Chiefs in past seasons. In 2019, the Chiefs entered their bye week with a record of 7-4. They weren’t playing their best football, but with the off time to figure things out, they were able to run the table en route to a Super Bowl victory. Having a late bye week gives the players much needed rest before the back half of the season, which benefits the fans because then the team is fresher and playing better in the biggest moments.
Week 3
We found out during the first round of the draft that the Chiefs were playing at Arrowhead in Week 2. Their opponent for that game will be the Los Angeles Chargers and will take place on Thursday, September 15th, 2022. On Tuesday, a report came out that the Chiefs will be opening the season on the road against the Houston Texans.
So the Chiefs will be on the road in Week 1 then have a short turnaround for their Week 2 game. The Week 3 game is important because it will be off a mini bye. The Chiefs will have at least a ten days between the Chargers game and their Week 3 game. We all know how good Andy Reid is as a coach when coming off a bye. Giving Coach Reid extra time to prepare for an opponent is only an advantage for the Chiefs. If that Week 3 game is against a divisional opponent or another AFC contender, i.e. Bills or Bengals, then it gives the Chiefs an advantage going into a crucial matchup.
Primetime Games
The Chiefs are bound to have multiple primetime games. The NFL will always try to maximize putting Patrick Mahomes in nationally televised games. We already know one primetime game, Week 2 against the Chargers, but I would expect the Chiefs to be scheduled for five other primetime games. With the AFC West having a lot of hype around it, I think the NFL will try to put as many of those divisional matchups on National TV. The Chiefs also play the Buffalo Bills, the Cincinnati Bengals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Los Angeles Rams who are all considered as Super Bowl contenders. Having all these marquee matchups, it will be interesting to see how they are spaced out, what week they fall in, and how many are at Arrowhead.
Divisional Games
The 2022 AFC West division has already been labeled “the best division of all time.” With the all the hype surrounding the other three teams, Chargers, Broncos, and Raiders, the Chiefs are bound to have heavily hyped up divisional matchups. Week 18 is always a full slate of divisional games to increase interest and drama in the divisional races. All four teams are being picked by national folks to win the division. The NFL may use this unknown to have the AFC West matchups later in the season, so it can increase the drama in the divisional race. It may actually be an advantage for the Chiefs to have their divisional matchups later in the season. Derek Carr has historically struggled in cold weather and especially at Arrowhead. Also, Russell Wilson’s play has taken a step back later in the season. Lastly, Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes have been dominant in divisional matchups and it is the first thing that the Chiefs prepare for every season.
Road Trip
This year the Chiefs play eight home games and nine away games. Unless the schedule perfectly flip flops between home and away, the Chiefs will have a stretch of road games. Whether that stretch is three road games in a row, three of four, four of five, the travel will take a toll on the team. Though most players are used to it, it is always better to have shorter trips and be home for recovery purposes. Also look at if those road games are on a short week because it becomes harder to go through your normal routine if you are traveling within a few days of each other.
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(Photo: @Chiefs)