The Kansas City Chiefs are heading into Week 15 with one of the top records in the NFL, but they’re about to face a challenging series of games in a condensed timeframe.

Kansas City is set to play the Cleveland Browns this Sunday, host the Houston Texans the following Saturday, and then take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day, which falls on a Wednesday. This means the Chiefs will have three games within an 11-day period, with shorter rest between each match compared to the usual NFL schedule.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes commented on this situation, stating, “It’s not a pleasant feeling. I’m looking forward to playing on Christmas to hopefully make a comeback from last year’s loss against the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas 2023, but playing this many games in such a short span is not great for the body. However, it’s part of the job, and you have to show up.”

Mahomes mentioned that the team will concentrate on each practice and their upcoming game, while he has been preparing his body “all year in advance for this stressful period.”

He added, “The coaching staff takes excellent care of us during practice. We train intensely, but they know when to ease off when necessary.”

The Chiefs are not alone in facing this tough schedule; the Texans, Steelers, and Baltimore Ravens scheduled for Christmas Day will also play three games over the same 11-day stretch.

Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones mentioned two weeks ago that his team may have a disadvantage due to the timing of their bye weeks. While the Steelers had theirs in Week 9, and the Ravens and Texans took a break last week, Kansas City’s only bye came way back in Week 6 in early October.

Jones stated, “This offseason, I’m planning to approach the NFLPA. Given that we’re having to play three games in such a short duration, I believe teams should be required to have a later bye week. Our schedule has been quite unusual, to say the least. That’s a discussion worth having in the offseason, suggesting that teams with similar scheduling patterns should be entitled to a late-season bye.”

This Christmas season will feature an unusual mid-week NFL game, with two of the games scheduled on Wednesday. The last Wednesday game before this year took place in 2020, when the Ravens played the Steelers, which was rescheduled due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the Ravens’ team.

Prior to that, a game was moved to Wednesday in 2012 due to then-President Barack Obama’s speech scheduled for the 2012 Democratic National Convention. That marked the first Wednesday game since 1948, when the Los Angeles Rams faced the Detroit Lions.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid commented on the situation, saying, “It’s a unique circumstance, and we just have to handle it. It’s out of our control. We need to make the best of the situation. The priority is getting our players ready for the games and allowing them the opportunity to perform their best. Currently, we are in a regular training week, so we must ensure we stay focused.”