3 Biggest Trap Games on Chiefs' 2024 Schedule

Seemingly every year, the Chiefs have a couple of games that make you scratch your head and say, "How on Earth did we lost that?" Whether it's the Raiders or Broncos losses from last year or the Colts the year before that, Kansas City is typically good for one or two unexpected losses.

The 2024 NFL schedule was officially released on Wednesday and while it's exciting overall, the league didn't do the Chiefs any favors with some tough stretches.

I've got full confidence in Kansas City to post an excellent record and win the AFC West once again, but there could still be a few surprises along the way. With that in mind, let's look at three potential trap games that could spell trouble throughout the year.

3 Biggest Trap Games on Chiefs' Schedule

1. Week 3 @ Atlanta Falcons

I'll be confident about Patrick Mahomes in a dome no matter what, though it's hard to ignore the difficult scheduling spot here. The Chiefs will be coming off a pair of grueling games to start the year, hosting the Ravens and Bengals in consecutive weeks. It'd be understandable if they weren't quite as juiced up to play an NFC opponent on the road in Week 3.

Atlanta is a trendy team to make a deep playoff run. Their offense is loaded and now they've got a seemingly competent QB in Kirk Cousins to get their talented skill-position players the ball. Drake London, Bijan Robinson, and Kyle Pitts are a scary trio and this will be the Falcons' chance to prove they're real contenders.

It's worth noting that Atlanta will only be on six days of rest after facing the Eagles on Monday Night Football in Week 2, though they'll be a difficult opponent nonetheless.

DraftKings Sportsbook has the Chiefs as three-point favorites in this contest, a smaller margin than the four-point advantage Kansas City has over Cincinnati. Sportsbooks expect this to be a close game, which makes sense given the Chiefs' first two matchups.

If Kansas City gets off to a 2-0 start and claims the head-to-head tiebreakers over a pair of AFC contenders, I could see the Chiefs slipping up and falling to the Falcons. In any case, they'll need to be focused to avoid a let-down game.

2. Week 13 vs. Las Vegas Raiders (Black Friday)

The Chiefs dropped a stunner to the Raiders last year and this game has "weird" written all over it. It's only the second NFL game ever on Black Friday and Kansas City has only five days of rest. They're taking on the Panthers, so it shouldn't be a difficult contest, but limited rest is limited rest either way.

Antonio Pierce won the locker room over as an interim coach and now has a full offseason to exert his influence on the roster. I don't think Las Vegas has any hope at making the postseason, though the AFC West foe can still give the Chiefs a competitive game. At this point in the year, Kansas City could be dealing with nagging injuries as well.

Vegas scored two TDs in six seconds last year, so the Raiders' win required some flukey events. I don't expect lightning to strike in the same place twice, but the quirky nature of a Black Friday game does raise questions.

The Chiefs were lethargic on Christmas Day last season. Perhaps they'll have similar struggles the day after Thanksgiving? DraftKings has the Chiefs as seven-point favorites and -340 on the moneyline, so oddsmakers aren't as concerned as I am.

That said, Kansas City is 4-4 against the spread in their last eight games against Vegas. Divisional opponents know more about your tendencies, so these matchups can be closer than we initially expected.

Unless the Chiefs go undefeated in the division, there will likely be a stunning loss sprinkled in somewhere. This might be that loss.

3. Week 17 @ Pittsburgh Steelers (Christmas Day)

I hate everything about this game for the Chiefs. It'll be their third in 10 days after hosting the Texans on December 21st and playing in Cleveland on the 15th. Since it's Week 17, players will likely be hurting and have more trouble with the short rest.

Plus, there's the fact it's on Christmas! We saw Kansas City struggle on the holiday last season. Pittsburgh annually has one of the NFL's best and most physical defenses, the exact kind of team you'd hope to avoid after facing Houston four days prior.

Who knows if Russell Wilson or Justin Fields will be the Steelers' QB at this point, though Pittsburgh usually finds itself in the playoff hunt at the end of the year. It's possible the Chiefs will have clinched a playoff spot and the Steelers are fighting for one, so there could be a motivation imbalance as well.

TJ Watt is dangerous coming off the edge. If the Steelers can force a couple of turnovers, the Chiefs may quickly find themselves in a dog fight.

With the playoffs coming so quickly after this contest, anything is on the table. Fingers crossed Kansas City is fully healthy, but I wouldn't be surprised if this was a game certain players sat out to recover in time for the postseason.

Either way, there are too many negative possibilities to consider this anything other than a trap game.

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