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The Chiefs have a very quirky schedule for the 2024 season,
Kansas City plays in eight standalone games on six different days of the week. This includes five primetime games (the second-most in the NFL) and games on Black Friday and Christmas Day. NFL VP of broadcast planning Mike North even described the Chiefs’ 2024 as “the hardest schedule in the league” despite their 16th-toughest strength of schedule.
This all comes when the Chiefs begin their journey to break the NFL record for most consecutive Super Bowls. No team has done it more than twice, so the Chiefs want to be the first to win back-to-back-to-back after KC took home the Lombardi Trophy in each of the past two seasons. They’ll open the year at home on Thursday Night Football on Sept. 5 against the Ravens in a 2023 AFC championship game rematch.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes isn’t concerned about the placement of games, the times or even the opponents. But he does have one gripe with the NFL schedule makers.
What Patrick Mahomes doesn’t like about the Chiefs 2024 schedule
Mahomes isn’t happy with how early the Chiefs have their bye week. Kansas City won’t play in Week 6, the week following their Monday night match with the Steelers.
“The only thing I don’t like is the early bye,” Mahomes told ESPN’s Pat McAfee this week. “The early bye is always tough. But other than that, I’m just ready to play football
“… It’s the earliest I’ve ever had a bye,” Mahomes added. “We do get the Christmas Wednesday night game, which could be like a four-day weekend. But at the same time, that Week 6 bye? It’s Texas Tech’s bye, too, so I can’t even go see my college team.”
Mahomes is right: This is the earliest the Chiefs have ever had a bye week during his tenure in Kansas City. The Chiefs have typically had either a Week 10 or Week 12 bye, except for 2022 when KC’s bye came in Week 8.
While the early bye may not be fun for Mahomes, the Chiefs’ schedule actually played out positively for them when it comes to rest. Kansas City tied for the eight-most net rest for their schedule, according to Sharp Football Analytics. This means that the Chiefs were one of the teams who most benefited from when their games are played and how their schedule is constructed with primetime and off-Sunday games — likely what Mahomes meant with the Christmas Day game on a Wednesday.
Kansas City’s path to the Super Bowl won’t be easy, but this is a team with the pedigree and talent to break history.