The best and worst games of the 2020 Chiefs schedule

Now that we know the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2020 schedule, let’s take a way-too-early look at the best and worst games of the 2020 season.

Best games

Houston Texans at Chiefs — Week 1

Banner Night — the first in 50 years. ‘Nuff said.

Seriously... I don’t care which team the Chiefs play to open the season at Arrowhead. I don’t care if they’re good or they’re bad. The only thing that matters is that the championship banner is going up. Win or lose — with fans in the stands or not — it’s going to be a spectacular fall night.

Oh... it’s against the Texans? So much the better.

Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens — Week 3

The 2018 MVP (and now reigning Super Bowl MVP) against the 2019 MVP. The league’s best passer against the league’s most versatile quarterback. Head coach Andy Reid facing off against one of his former assistant coaches. What’s not to like about this game?

I get it: Lamar Jackson has a ways to go to prove that his particular skill set can be successful over a long period of time. But up to this point, it has been successful — and until proven otherwise, his team needs to be considered one of the AFC’s most dangerous.

Still... after two attempts, Jackson still hasn’t beaten the Chiefs. And John Harbaugh hasn’t defeated Reid in three attempts against the Chiefs. They’ll be amped up for this one.

Chiefs at Denver Broncos — Week 7

The Broncos drafted a lot of speedy weapons — which is a legitimate cause for concern. So it’s all going to come down to whether Drew Lock is the real deal. We may not know the answer to that question for another season or two — but in the meantime, a road game against Denver will be a good indicator of which way the wind is blowing across the Rocky Mountains.

Chiefs at New Orleans Saints — Week 15

During the last three seasons, the Saints have been among the league’s best teams. The two squads haven’t met since 2016, when the Saints were on the way to a 7-9 record and the Chiefs still had Alex Smith under center. This is another game in which Patrick Mahomes will want to be able to demonstrate he can be on the road and go blow-for-blow with another Hall of Fame quarterback. It ought to be fun to watch.

Worst games

Las Vegas Raiders at Chiefs — Week 5

Like the Broncos, the Raiders have made moves to acquire speedy players to compete with the Legion of Zoom. But as long as Derek Carr is throwing them the football, it’s not likely to make a lot of difference. Since Reid arrived, the Raiders haven’t won at Arrowhead — and in the last three games in Kansas City, they’ve been outscored 101-27. It’s likely to get ugly.

New York Jets at Chiefs — Week 8

It may be hard to believe, but there’s a Super Bowl-winning franchise that’s waited even longer than the Chiefs did to win their second championship: the Jets, who won their Super Bowl one year before the Chiefs did. It’s a tribute to the NFL’s insistence on parity that a New York team is among those that have had such a consistent record of despair. I haven’t seen anything that makes me think think things will be any different in 2020.

Chiefs at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Week 12

Yeah... this game is going to get a lot of nationwide attention. Tom Brady against Patrick Mahomes. Yadda yadda yadda.

But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in all my trips around the Sun, it’s that these kinds of moves seldom work out very well. The most likely result of Brady’s move to Florida is that he’ll be sorry he didn’t just step off the field — and take Rob Gronkowski with him.

Yes... it might be that Brady (and even Gronk) can provide a spark to help restore the Buccaneers to relevance. It’s certainly happened before. But I’m afraid this game might just end up being embarrassing to watch. I suppose it might be satisfying for Chiefs fans... but probably not to most NFL fans.