Kansas City Chiefs at Dallas Cowboys: Live updates, commentary from Thanksgiving
The Kansas City Chiefs survived their version of a midseason must-win game last Sunday. And the stage will only get bigger ... perhaps not in stakes, but when it comes to the national viewing audience.
As in, could this be the most-watched NFL regular-season game of all time?
Whether this game gets somewhere between 35-40 million viewers — or up to the 48, 49 or 50 million that the NFL’s vice president of broadcast planning thinks possible — the Chiefs would settle for just about any win Thursday afternoon.
There’s still lots of work to do in the AFC playoff race (the Chiefs actually lost some ground on a strange quirk last week) and a loss would drop KC right back to .500 with only five games left to play.
So the stage is set and the stakes are high. While you celebrate Thanksgiving and watch today’s game, follow along with our live coverage and commentary.
KC Chiefs at Dallas Cowboys: Stats, score updates and commentary
Follow updates and commentary from our KC Star team, including Chiefs beat reporters Pete Sweeney and Blair Kerkhoff and columnists Vahe Gregorian and Sam McDowell live at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
And here’s how to watch and listen to today’s game.
Three storylines for Chiefs-Cowboys
1. No Trey Smith? So about that O-line
The Cowboys bring a newly acquired standout pass rusher, Quinnen Williams, into this matchup against a Kansas City offensive line that will be down its top guard. But the bright side is that left tackle Josh Simmons has had another week to get back in the swing of things, and the Chiefs feel like they have a sixth O-line starter with Mike Caliendo.
This matchup — the KC offensive line vs. the Cowboys’ defensive front — could very well decide the game.
2. Patrick Mahomes back on home turf ... sort of
Patrick Mahomes grew up in Texas. He went to college in Texas. And he’s had some monster games in the state ... although Sunday will offer him his first NFL opportunity at AT&T Stadium, sometimes (or even most often) known as “Jerry World.”
Is another big game in store? Either way, Thursday marks a great chance to revisit the lore of a young Mahomes, from his ridiculous high school run to his child-athlete prodigy days.
3. Kareem Hunt and the Kansas City run game
The run game came to life in Kansas City’s last game, despite questions about that very area a week earlier. Much of that was due to Kareem Hunt, who in similar fashion to his first-ever game with Kansas City overcame a fumble to help spark an important AFC victory.
Could the run game get another lift? Isiah Pacheco was a full participant in practice and could give the Chiefs a boost when they take the field against the Cowboys. If he can help take pressure off Mahomes — and allow Hunt to specialize in short-yardage, where he’s been so effective — the KC offense could continue to pick up steam.
