Head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs talks to press after defeating San Francisco 49ers by 31 - 20 in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium on February 02, 2020 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The Kansas City Chiefs are set to begin their Super Bowl defense when the NFL’s 101st year kicks off this fall. One of the biggest franchises in sports rightfully deserves to play plenty of primetime ball. The official NFL schedule was revealed Thursday evening and looks like Andy Reid’s men have five evening games, and their opponents will be looking for redemption with millions of fans watching.
Here’s how we’ll open the season!
The defending champions will raise the flag and receive their rings before their home opener against the Houston Texans September 10, marking their first evening matchup of the year. From there, Patrick Mahomes and company have just two weeks until their second primetime contest Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens September 28. Check out the full lineup below:
Biggest Surprises in the Schedule
While five primetime games is certainly something to marvel, two notable games are (currently) scheduled to be played in the afternoon: contests against the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Considering the buzz around both veteran quarterbacks, Drew Brees and Tom Brady, one would think a sort of changing of the guards between rising star Mahomes and storied playcallers would merit an evening kickoff.
Keep in mind, this is all subjective and could change as the season rolls on. But, analysts are already discussing who is arguably the biggest threat to Brady’s Bucs this year. Check out what ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman had to say on First Take Thursday morning:
Super Bowl LV is scheduled to kickoff as scheduled on February 7, 2021 in Tampa, Florida.
Andy Reid, Players React to Schedule Release
Head coach Andy Reid spoke out about the schedule release, calling it an opportunity to play against some “great teams in the league.”
“The releasing of the 2020 NFL schedule reinforces each year that we have the opportunity to compete against some of the great teams in this league,” Reid said, via Chiefs.com. “I know our organization and fans get excited for these challenges. We look forward to raising last year’s Super Bowl championship banner and all that comes with defending our title in the 2020 season.”
He wasn’t the only member of Chiefs personnel to react. Players resorted to Twitter to share their thoughts, feeling nothing but confidence in the strength of the squad.
IT’ll BE A TIME TO COLLECT
.@Mathieu_Era is looking forward to collecting rent in Tampa Bay 🍯🦡
Day by day ⏰🙏🏽
Mahomes didn’t share words of his own Thursday evening. Instead, number 15 just retweeted a graphic of the Week 1 matchup between him and Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. The Chiefs and the Texans played against each other twice last season, with Kansas City orchestrating a come-from-behind victory in the Divisional Round of last season’s playoffs. Considering the strengths of both players and the depth of both teams, this is shaping up to be one of the best rivalries in the NFL this era.
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