The Kansas City Chiefs will be playing their regular-season finale in Week 18 against the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday instead of Sunday.
The NFL always keeps flexibility in Week 18, leaving games unscheduled with the ability to have them scheduled on Saturday or Sunday. For the second consecutive season, the Chiefs are getting stuck with a short week. They’ll face the Raiders on the road at 4:30 p.m. EST on ABC and ESPN in Week 18. It’ll be part of a Saturday doubleheader that includes the Titans at 8:15 EST on ABC and ESPN.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid anticipated a Saturday timeslot and said the team has been preparing as such.
“What we’ve done is we have to take it as if we’re playing on Saturday,” Reid said following the Week 17 win over the Broncos. “That’s how you have to go about it. So our coaches were working today and yesterday – this morning and yesterday – finishing up the run game and some of the pass game stuff. And so, we’ll get tomorrow to add a little bit to it and then we’re right into it. So, we’re treating it like (it’s a Saturday game) which is the only way you can do it. If they spring a Saturday on us, we have to be ready to roll.”
The Raiders have already been eliminated from playoff contention, so an early game with very little on the line isn’t the biggest surprise. Right now, the furthest Kansas City can drop in the AFC Playoff Picture is the No. 3 seed with a loss in Week 18 and back-to-back wins by the Cincinnati Bengals.
