Andy Reid takes impossible Chiefs schedule in stride, challenges NFL for worse

The Kansas City Chiefs are hoping to become the first NFL team to secure the elusive feat of winning three consecutive Super Bowl championships — even if Tom Brady doubts they can do it.

The path to Super Bowl LIX will be a difficult one, even for Kansas City. No team has ever made a Super Bowl appearance — much less won the game — in the season after winning two consecutive championships.

One of the reasons why the third championship is so difficult to capture is because of the schedule. Not only will teams try harder to knock out the Chiefs, but the schedule is more difficult by design. As the winner of the AFC West, Kansas City’s schedule will include each division winner from the 2023 season.

This year, Kansas City will face an unprecedented challenge. The Chiefs will become the first team to play games on six separate days of the week since the 1927 New York Yankees. Tuesday is the only day of the week that Kansas City will not play a game on.

Head coach Andy Reid was asked about the Chiefs’ unique schedule during the team’s voluntary offseason team activities press conference. The three-time Super Bowl-winning head coach seemed unfazed by the grueling schedule ahead. In fact, he welcomed the league to add a Tuesday game to the schedule.

“It’s the first time in my career that this has happened,” Reid said. “It’s unique and you know how we are, we don’t really care. They can give us a Tuesday game if they want, and we’ll be okay there, too. We work through it, we’ll play anybody, anywhere, whatever they want to do. We’re on board.”

The NFL has looked to expand its schedule and audience as growth has exponentially skyrocketed over the past several decades. The season is longer, games are broadcast on more networks and streaming platforms, and teams are playing internationally. The action is expanding across the weekly schedule as well — the NFL is no longer known for just Sunday afternoons.

The Chiefs will play 14 of their 17 games in the late afternoon or evening time slots. Eight of those games will be in exclusive windows — two Sunday Night Football tilts, two Monday Night Football contests, a Black Friday matchup, a Saturday night game in Week 16, and a Christmas feature on Wednesday in Week 17.

If the Chiefs can properly manage their recovery, rest, and preparation, they could become the first team in NFL history to win a game on five different days of the week in a single season.

The nightmare schedule can be attributed to three key factors: Kansas City’s success, the league’s growth, and pop icon Taylor Swift’s affiliation with the team.

As Swift has drawn a record number of young and female viewers to Kansas City, broadcasting networks are understandably eager to host Chiefs games on their platforms.