The Kansas City Chiefs likely thought they would have a rather quiet and peaceful bye this week after losing to the Buffalo Bills in Week 9. However, the NFL has had other plans.
Kansas City’s first game after the bye will be against the division-leading Denver Broncos in Week 11. Following that game, the Chiefs will go on the road to play a revamped Colts team in Indianapolis in Week 12, which just acquired All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner.
On paper, those two games were already looking tough for KC based on how the first half of the season had gone. However, the Chiefs will not get any breaks in Week 13, as they will face a Dallas Cowboys team that made a major addition to its defensive line.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Dallas acquired three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets in exchange for two draft picks and defensive tackle Mazi Smith. This is the second trade the Cowboys have made on Tuesday, as they also picked up veteran linebacker Logan Wilson from the Cincinnati Bengals.
Suddenly, this reeling defense has major reinforcements coming into the fold, and they'll have plenty of time to learn Dallas' system before facing KC on Thursday, Nov. 27.
Chiefs Are Catching No Breaks with Tough Three-Game Stretch After Bye Week
Before the Cowboys made these moves, it was likely thought that the Chiefs’ offense would easily pick apart Dallas’ beleaguered defense, which has been ripped to shreds this season.
While that might still be the case, Dallas still has Matt Eberflus as their defensive coordinator, and the Chiefs will absolutely have to gameplan for Wilson and Williams on the defensive line. The latter is a gamebreaker and can wreck a game if you do not double-team him, which will put a lot of pressure on the Chiefs’ interior offensive line.
This season, the 27-year-old Williams has racked up 32 combined tackles, seven tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, three forced fumbles, and a sack. According to Pro Football Focus, Williams’ pass rush grade isn’t that great (57.1), but he’s an absolute force against the run with a 90.8 grade.
Therefore, the Chiefs must make sure their blocking scheme is up to par. They’ll need the ground game to keep the Cowboys’ defense honest, which should hopefully open up the big plays through the air.
Of course, that's not even to mention the 'Boys' eletric offense that boasts a three-headed monster of CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens and Javonte Williams with Dak Prescott under center. A leaky defense has prevented this high-scoring unit from leading Dallas to a winning record in 2025, but things could improve on that front after these trades, making them more of a threat on any given week.
In just a matter of hours, KC’s second-half schedule has become tougher, but if there’s a team that can navigate this stretch of games, it's the Chiefs.