Mahomes and Kelce’s Chiefs are so good they’ve created a real problem for the NFL

They are the AFC’s No.1 seed again

The Kansas City Chiefs, led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce, are getting better as the season goes on. They have dominated the 2024 NFL season, securing the AFC’s No. 1 seed with a 15-1 record but this success presents a unique challenge for the NFL and its broadcasting partners.

With their playoff position secured, the Chiefs are likely to rest key players in their final regular-season game against the Denver Broncos on January 4 or 5. Mahomes is currently nursing an ankle injury, while the 35-year-old Kelce are prime candidates for a rest.

With this in mind, the Chiefs will have a bye during Wild Card Weekend (January 11-13), delaying their next meaningful game until the Divisional Round on January 18 or 19. This schedule could result in nearly a month without Mahomes and Kelce on the field, and obviously this could mean lower ratings if they were to be selected for broadcast.

The Chiefs have been central to several high-profile broadcasts this season, including a Black Friday special on Amazon Prime against the Las Vegas Raiders and a Christmas Day game featured in a Netflix special, which set a streaming record with nearly 65 million US-based viewers.

The potential absence of the Chiefs’ star players from upcoming broadcasts raises concerns about television ratings and viewer engagement during a critical period of the NFL season. The league and its broadcasters may need to adjust their strategies to maintain audience interest in the weeks leading up to the Chiefs’ return to action.

While the Chiefs’ dominance underscores their exceptional performance, it also brings challenges for those in charge of selecting the most viewable games. But as this NFL season has proven so far, there are a host of other teams that can challenge the Chiefs for the Super Bowl next year, and therefore it is not expected to be a problem to find another great matchup for broadcast.