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Chiefs hit with bizarre scheduling quirk the NFL hasn't seen in 97 years, plus 15 other 2024 schedule oddities | CBS Sport Here are 16 of the weirdest quirks on the 2024 NFL schedule, starting with the Chiefs, who got a quirk that the NFL hasn't seen in 97 years. Chiefs will be playing on six different days of the week. The Chiefs got a schedule that no team has gotten in 97 years. With the Chiefs getting a Friday game and Wednesday game thanks to Black Friday and Christmas, Kansas City will be playing on six different days this year. The only day the Chiefs WON'T be playing on is Tuesday. That makes the Chiefs the first team in 97 years to play on six different days of the week. Back in 1927, the New York Yankees played on every day except for Monday. Five Takeaways From the 2024 NFL Schedule Release | The Ringer The Week 1 Slate Is Fun Two stand-alone games to start the season are a treat. Rather than having just one debut matchup on Thursday night to kick off the season, the NFL is first giving fans Ravens at Chiefs, a rematch of last season's AFC championship game (and a rematch of Justin Tucker vs. Patrick Mahomes) on Thursday, and then Packers-Eagles from São Paulo, Brazil, on Friday night. It will be the first of eight national games for the Chiefs this season. (Surely the NFL is hoping Taylor Swift will find time around her Eras Tour dates to show up and juice the ratings for those games.) Taylor Swift is in Toronto the weekend of the Bills vs. Chiefs game in Orchard Park. She has shows Thursday, Friday, & Saturday, but not Sunday. NFL schedule: Each AFC team's win total projection for 2024 season | NFL.com 10.9 - Kansas City Chiefs AFC WEST CHAMPIONS Win Total: under 11.5 (+100) Make Playoffs: -500 Win Division: -245 Win Conference: +330 Win Super Bowl: +575 Chiefs' complete 2024 NFL schedule My models indicate the Chiefs are on their way to winning their ninth straight AFC West division title. Despite two tough games to start the season (hosting the Ravens and Bengals), the schedule is favorable for the reigning Super Bowl Champs, who are not slated to be underdogs in my models in any of their 17 contests. Next Gen Stats show that Kansas City's passing offense averaged just 6.5 air yards per attempt in 2023, the second-lowest mark in the NFL. The addition of receivers Hollywood Brown (free agency) and Xavier Worthy (Round 1 of the draft) should help change things. The Chiefs also benefit from the fact that their hardest four-game stretch of the season comes late in the slate (Weeks 14-17), which means they have a lot of time to establish their offensive identity before facing the likes of the Chargers, Browns, Texans and Steelers in December. 1 Roster Flaw That Can Derail the 2024 Season for Each NFL Super Bowl Contender | Bleacher Report Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes Faces Insurmountable Pocket Pressure Super Bowl odds: +550 The Kansas City Chiefs signed wide receiver Marquise Brown in free agency and moved up in the first round of the 2024 draft for fellow speedster Xavier Worthy. Even with Rashee Rice likely facing a suspension at some point this season, the Chiefs have covered their bases at wide receiver. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes could be uncomfortable in the pocket, though, which could significantly impact Kansas City's passing game. The Chiefs offensive line will likely have a new full-time starter at left tackle. Kansas City hasn't re-signed Donovan Smith, who started 12 games last season. Meanwhile, right tackle Jawaan Taylor gave up five sacks and committed 20 penalties during the 2023 campaign, according to Pro Football Focus. Kansas City selected Kingsley Suamataia in the second round of the 2024 draft, but as Bleacher Report scout Brandon Thorn noted, he may need some time to tighten up his technique before taking the field. "Overall, Suamataia has the physical tools of a starting tackle with an unrefined skill set that is built on flashes rather than proven consistency," Thorn wrote. "But he'll be only 21 when he gets drafted, and he has the runway to add polish to his game and bridge that gap within his first contract in an RPO/play-action-based system that can help bring him along slowly." The Chiefs could plug in 2023 third-rounder Wanya Morris at left tackle, where he started four games last season, but he isn't a proven starter. If the Chiefs don't sign a veteran tackle with starting experience, they may regret it. The one position battle remaining for the Chiefs | ESPN The Chiefs identified Suamataia as a good prospect to compete with Morris during the draft process. He played three collegiate seasons. He was a backup in 2021 at Oregon, playing in one game and then a two-year starter after transferring to Brigham Young. The Chiefs traded up one spot near the end of the second round to guarantee they would be able to pick him. "I wish you were in the draft room with us," Veach told Suamataia after he was drafted in a video taken by the Chiefs. "Coach [Andy] Reid was sweating for like 10 picks because the two most important things to him are offensive linemen and BYU graduates." Ranking Every NFL Offense After the 2024 Draft | | Bleacher Report 2. Chiefs Why They're Ranked Here Admittedly, the Kansas City Chiefs don't rank this high if you're just taking data into account. They finished 11th in EPA per play last season, 15th in scoring and ninth in yards per game. But then the playoffs came around and Patrick Mahomes had the best overall QBR—and the Chiefs offense scored enough to win another Super Bowl. Ultimately, it's hard too hard to bet against the combination of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs did what they could to improve on a limited budget, signing Marquise Brown and drafting Xavier Worthy and Kingsley Suamataia. The Chiefs might take some time to figure out their identity early in the season, but they'll be an elite unit when it counts. Texans' Dylan Horton rings bell after final cancer treatment | ESPN Houston Texans defensive end Dylan Horton on Thursday posted a video of himself ringing the bell, signifying his last radiation treatment after being diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma. "Glory to God. Final Treatment," Horton tagged the video, which was posted to Instagram Story. Horton stepped away from the Texans on Nov. 22, citing a "personal matter" as the Texans were preparing to play the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 12. He later learned Dec. 1 that he had Stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma. Tua Tagovailoa has been mostly absent from Dolphins activities as Miami QB looks for big next contract | CBS Sports The Miami Dolphins will begin team drills on Monday as part of their voluntary organized team activities, and it's unclear whether starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will be a part of them. Tagovailoa has been absent for the large majority of voluntary offseason work since the Dolphins reported back April 15, sources close to the situation told CBS Sports. That is in stark contrast to his first four seasons in the league, when Tagovailoa was present for most of the voluntary work. Sources believe his absence is related to his contract status. Tagovailoa, the fifth overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, is currently set to play the 2024 season on his fifth-year option, worth $23.171 million. The Alabama alumnus has hoped for a long-term contract extension with the Dolphins, but one has not materialized to date. The going rate for today's NFL franchise quarterbacks is around the $50 million per year mark. Tagovailoa is scheduled to make less than half that in 2024 with no security beyond this season. Chiefs Draft: How TE Jared Wiley can help Chiefs make 13 personnel work Why were the Chiefs more successful in 2022? In 2022, the Chiefs used a lot of play-action passing concepts to attack downfield. They did this with tight ends, rather than wide receivers. Why were the Chiefs so much more explosive in 13p in 2022? I'd argue the main reason is these deep play action concepts. Even if Fortson wasn't a star, his vertical speed and ability to stretch the field- especially against base defenses - gave KC space to get downfield pic.twitter.com/Px3T5rDtvm That approach put opposing defenses in a bind. If they matched up with their base defense to defend against the run, they risked having a linebacker trying to cover tight end Travis Kelce one-on-one over the middle of the field. But another part of what made these play-action concepts work was tight end Jody Fortson's ability to run vertically downfield. This helped open space for Kelce in the middle of the field. Rewatching the 2019 playoff game between the @Chiefs and the @HoustonTexans . Houston was up 24-0 with under 11 minutes to go in the 1st half. The Chiefs had the lead at halftime and outscored Houston 51-7 after that to win by 20. Still ridiculousThe latest
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