Report: Chiefs’ Gear Mistakenly Sent to New Jersey Instead of Foxboro

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas City Chiefs players woke up Sunday morning ready for their afternoon matchup against the New England Patriots. Some of the team’s gear, however, was nowhere to be seen.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, an equipment container that held some of the Chiefs’ shoulder pads, helmets and footballs was not unloaded on Saturday and instead accidentally made its way to Newark, N.J. The Chiefs did not take the equipment off the plane, Schefter notes, and the mix-up is Kansas City’s responsibility.

“I never heard that before,” Schefter quoted a source as saying.

The equipment had to be rushed back to Boston in time for the team’s 4:30 p.m. kickoff. Chiefs Maven Matt Derrick noted that because of high school football at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night, Kansas City's equipment managers couldn't discover the issue ahead of time. 

Schefter reported that if the equipment did not arrive by the time the game started, the team would have to forfeit. 

The 8-4 Chiefs enter Foxboro looking to pick up a crucial win in what could be a postseason preview. 

Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes is still trying to regain his MVP-form after going down with a knee injury earlier in the season while Patriots QB Tom Brady is looking to help New England's offense get back on track after it has sputtered some in recent weeks.