Peter King: ‘Not So Fast’ on Reported Plans for Chiefs’ Germany Games

Less than a week ago, it was reported by German outlet Bild that the Kansas City Chiefs were set to play games in Germany in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Now, that's being brought into question and some doubt is being cast on Kansas City's exact 2023 opponent.

One thing is for certain: The Chiefs will indeed be having a game in Frankfurt in the month of November. Contrary to Bild's report, though, it may not be against the Chicago Bears and the contest's exact date and time may not be what was reported. According to Peter King in his Football Morning in America column of the week, the Chiefs exercised their option to request that the Bears game would be held at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

Another part of Bild's report is being questioned: 2024's plans for the Chiefs overseas. Last week's article mentioned that a 2024-25 regular season outing against the Carolina Panthers could be set, but King argues that Carolina may try to protect that scheduled game from being taken out of their true home rotation. Here's his case against both elements of Bild's article:

First: When a team gives up one of its home games to play overseas, it has the option of requesting to the league one home game on its schedule the team does not want moved. I’m told Kansas City requested that the Chicago game not be played overseas. As for 2024, it’s hard to imagine Carolina would not try to keep Patrick Mahomes’ only currently scheduled game in Charlotte for the next eight years at Bank of America Stadium.

You might ask,

Wouldn’t Kansas City want to protect red-hot home games against Buffalo, Cincinnati and Philadelphia from moving to Germany?

The league would almost certainly not schedule those games for overseas, because Germany games are played in the 9:30 a.m. ET window, which is not nearly as conducive to big ratings as are Sunday late-afternoon or primetime games.

Additionally, King mentions the logic that the Chiefs would want to protect their home games against the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles from one potentially being taken to Germany. With how high-profile those matchups are for various respective reasons, however, it doesn't make a great deal of sense for the league to take them out of a better time slot back in the States.

With the NFL's schedule release coming this week, the NFL world will soon find out who Kansas City will be facing in Frankfurt this year and when the game will take place. The 2024 part of Bild's report, and its validity relative to King's article, will have to wait.

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