Mild weather at the seven outdoor National Football League game sites today with only a chance of rain in Tennessee where the Titans host the Kansas City Chiefs. This is the first game in ten years that the Chiefs are playing without a playoff berth on the line. Their loss last week to the Los Angeles Chargers mathematically eliminated Andy Reid’s team from postseason play.
In the loss, the Chiefs also had their field general, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, suffer an injury that required surgery and may prevent him from being ready to go when Kansas City opens camp next summer. While no one with any class would celebrate an injury to another player, you have to know that in Buffalo and Baltimore the Bills and Ravens are happy to see Mahomes exit before the playoffs.
If Mahomes wasn’t, the Bills or Ravens may have had multiple Super Bowl appearances in recent years … neither of those quality teams have even advanced to a Roman Numeral game while Mahomes has led the Chiefs to five Super Bowls and won three of them.
For the good of the game, from our desk we hope the successful surgery is followed up with a problem free rehabilitation and the talented future Hall of Fame quarterback is back leading the Chiefs next season.
Today, we get to see how the Chiefs perform without Mahomes and with nothing to play for but pride. The betting world doesn’t like their chances; they are only favored by a field goal or less against a Titans team that has only two wins this season.
The Chiefs in a meaningless game in December … go figure.