Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes vividly remembers his reaction seven months ago when the NFL released the 2024 schedule and he saw a grueling December stretch that featured three games in 11 days.
"Not a good feeling," Mahomes said.
When the focus should be on the Chiefs seeking the NFL's first Super Bowl three-peat, Kansas City and three other AFC playoff contenders -- the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers -- face something nearly as unprecedented. Only once since 1933 has an NFL team played three games in 11 days in December: the 2011 Jacksonville Jaguars.