Like all good things, Mitch Schwartz’s snap streak has ended

Chiefs fans have plenty of reasons to be disappointed with the loss to the Tennessee Titans, but here’s another that you can add to the pile — on Sunday, offensive lineman Mitchell Schwartz missed a snap for the first time in his career.

“It sucks,” the Chiefs’ right tackle said after the game. “It was seven and a half years running. It’s a pretty cool thing. Now I’m just normal like everybody else. It is what it is.”

Schwartz went down with an injury in the second quarter that forced him to leave the field. He returned in the third quarter to finish the game, but by then, a few snaps had already been played without him.

Schwartz did everything he could to keep the streak alive, like when he asked to play in Patrick Mahomes‘ first game as a Chief, even though the Chiefs had secured their playoff spot and the other starters were resting.

While it might have been possible for Schwartz to take the field after his injury to maintain the streak, he said he felt the risk was too great.

“I think we were in a not so good down-and-distance, and I didn’t want to go out there just for pride’s sake, and all of the sudden my guy turns the corner and runs into Pat. Now Pat’s hurt, so that’s not something that I’d be stupid enough to do.”

For seven and a half years and 7,894 snaps, Schwartz was the epitome of consistency in the NFL, never missing a single snap since he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2012. It was the longest active streak of its kind in the NFL, and though snap streaks aren’t officially recorded by the league, they are still extremely impressive, as explained by Mitch’s brother, Geoff.

During a season in which injury has caused a lot of uncertainty for the Chiefs’ offensive line, Schwartz has been one of the few things the Chiefs have been able to count on.

And that is one positive to come out of Sunday.