Jim Nantz on Why Andy Reid and the Chiefs Are Likely ‘Not Happy’ With Their 2024 Schedule..
The Kansas City Chiefs have a distinctive 2024 schedule, as the reigning back-to-back champions are slated to play every day of the week except Tuesday, featuring numerous short weeks, primetime matchups, and holiday games. Jim Nantz, likely the primary television play-by-play voice for the Chiefs in ’24, will be paired with color commentator Tony Romo as part of CBS’s main NFL crew. Following the schedule release, Nantz shared his thoughts on the challenges the Chiefs will face in their pursuit of a three-peat.
In a conversation with Rich Eisen on The Rich Eisen Show, Nantz delved into the specifics of the Chiefs’ schedule. Eisen kicked off by asking how many Kansas City games Nantz anticipated calling this season. Although it’s not confirmed, Nantz expects to cover several Chiefs games in 2024.
“I’ve got probably five of them at least,” Nantz said. “Eight Chiefs games are on CBS this season, so let’s go through it: Week 2 [vs. Bengals], yes. Week 4 [at Chargers], yes. Possibly Week 10 [vs. Broncos]. Week 11 [at Bills], yes. Right now, Week 12 [at Panthers], believe it or not, that’s our primary game on a regional week, is KC at Carolina. And then probably the game at Denver in Week 18, who knows, that’s a crapshoot, but I just rattled off five that I would say are pretty certain.”
The discussion then shifted to the difficulties of the Chiefs’ schedule. Eisen pointed out that the Chiefs are the first team to be scheduled to play on six different days of the week in one season since the 1927 New York Yankees football team (not the famed baseball team). Eisen noted that NFL teams and coaches generally dislike disruptions to their regular in-season routines, and the Chiefs’ 2024 schedule offers little routine.
“I’m sure Andy Reid is not happy with that schedule,” Nantz said. “Especially as you get later in the season, you mentioned it, the Saturday the 21st game against Houston and then turning around to play on Christmas Day — for the second consecutive year, by the way, they play on Christmas Day. Tony and I were there for the Raiders at KC on Christmas Day this past season, but this year they’ll be at Pittsburgh, and that’s not going to be fun. I don’t think this is ideal for Kansas City. Everyone’s out to get them, they get everybody’s best shot, and late in the year it’s all about recovery time. How do you keep your body healthy after months of pounding and stay upright? We’ll see. The stats show that injury frequency doesn’t increase with a shorter week. I’m talking more about rest, being at peak performance. But they’re the Chiefs! They figure it out! And we’ll be grateful to witness many of those games.”
