How do the Kansas City Chiefs prepare for a longer season? They’re getting some rest
The increase to a 17-game regular season was the worst-kept secret in the NFL heading into the offseason.
The scenario became a reality in late March, when the NFL’s 32 team owners voted to approve the measure.
Knowing the adjustment from 16 to 17 games seemed inevitable, how did the Chiefs go about their business during the offseason?
Chiefs coach Andy Reid, a man of routine and structure, preached to his players the need for rest.
And with good reason.
“The last three years, we’ve played as many games about as anybody in the NFL,” Reid said. “So, I emphasized that.”
Starting in 2018, the Chiefs made deep runs into the postseason, including consecutive Super Bowl appearances, while many teams around the league were already a month into their offseason.
The wear and tear of a season eventually takes a toll on a player’s body, but Reid’s guidance to his players this year mirrored that from previous offseasons.
“I’ve done that for the last two years — short offseasons — and it’s important that you step away and get a little time away from the game,” Reid said. “Not that it’s that far away, but get a little time away from the game, whether you’re a player or a coach, and recharge the battery, and get yourself going for the next year.”
The additional game could be a physical and mental stumbling block for players.
“I’ve definitely thought about it,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “You think about stuff like that in the offseason, but to me, it’s kind of a day-by-day mentality.”
To prepare for the upcoming regular season, Mahomes said he immersed himself in rehabilitation following his early February toe surgery. He was intent on being ready for the start of organized team activities in late May.
He also used the natural breaks in the offseason to refine his game, all while preparing himself for the grind of the regular season.
“Once I kind of got to this last break, it was about trying to find ways to adapt and make myself able to get the ball out of my hands quicker, make myself able to make these cuts, these movements,” Mahomes said. “And prepare my body for the long season.
“I mean, we add another game, and then we’re hopefully playing 19, 20 games this year. And we’ve been doing that the last few years, so trying to make sure my body is prepared for that workload and that I’m ready to go to try and make another run.”
Should the Chiefs make a third straight run at the Super Bowl, they’ll be playing a little later in the year than they did in previous seasons. Instead of preparing for either a late January or early February championship matchup, players will need their bodies at maximum efficiency for at least another week: Super Bowl LVI is on the schedule for Feb. 13, 2022.
For an experienced and battle-tested team like the Chiefs, adding another regular-season game shouldn’t be an insurmountable challenge.
Mahomes said he and his teammates just need to get off to a hot start, and the Chiefs are accustomed to doing so. They’ve started out 4-0 each of the past four years.
“I think that’s a big thing,” Mahomes said. “If you start off and gain that momentum early, you kind of find that routine of what we need to do each and every week to go out there and win. And so, I think it will be especially important this year.
“We play a lot of really good football teams early in the season ... these games that we play early in the season will matter at the end of the season as far as seeding and playoffs, and all that different type of stuff.”
