Kansas City Chiefs: 2017 Schedule Breakdown And Analysis
By Andrew Jones
Week 14: vs. Oakland Raiders
Sunday, Dec. 10 – 1:00 p.m. ET (CBS)
This game is for all the marbles. By this point in the season, the Chiefs and Raiders will be in similar situations. Three or four losses to similar opponents and a head-to-head matchup should be the deciding factor in the AFC West race. The Raiders have lost four-straight in Kansas City and Carr has struggled when the temperature drops. The key to this game will be pressure. The Raiders can match the Chiefs score-for-score, unless they can knock Carr down a few times.
Week 15: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Saturday, Dec. 16 – 8:25 p.m. ET (NFL Network)
The final primetime game falls on a slate of Saturday games for NFL Network. The Chargers could be somewhere around .500, or competing for a top draft pick. No one outside of Philip Rivers’ home thinks they will be in the AFC West mix. That doesn’t make this game any less important for the Chiefs. If they beat Oakland the week before, then they might have a one-game lead. There is no room for slipping up at this point, so a focused Kansas City should win easily.
Week 16: vs. Miami Dolphins
Sunday, Dec. 24 – 1:00 p.m. ET (CBS)
The Dolphins have often shown that they struggle late in the season on the road. The cold can be a very difficult obstacle for a warm weather team. The Chiefs should have the AFC West title in sight and fans will still be packing the stadium even on Christmas Eve. Ryan Tannehill and company may pull out a wildcard spot in the end so this could be a tough game. The Chiefs will focus on stopping Jay Ajayi to force Tannehill to throw. In the cold, that may be a very tall order.
Next: 2017 NFL Power Rankings: Chiefs In Top 5 Pre-Draft
Week 17: at Denver Broncos
Sunday, Dec. 31 – 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)
To close out the season, the Chiefs travel to Denver for a New Year’s Eve party. This game has a real shot at getting flexed into Sunday night if the AFC West is still in question. It is hard to figure out Denver as they have a lot of talent but a new coaching staff can be tricky. Denver’s Super Bowl aspirations could be coming to an end as their defensive stars get more and more expensive. The Chiefs have a shot at closing that window and forcing a rebuild if they can put up a significant amount of points.