It’s no secret that the NFL loves the Kansas City Chiefs—or, more specifically, they love the Chiefs’ colossal market draw that leads to nationwide viewership spikes and higher ratings.
In 2025, the Chiefs are undeniably the league’s darlings yet again after receiving eight standalone games including the most primetime games of any NFL team (7). Kansas City will play on nearly every holiday this year including Thanksgiving Day and Christmas, receiving plenty of primetime love after falling short of their three-peat hopes this past February.
With the Chiefs basking in the spotlight once more, ESPN analyst Adam Schefter got candid about his thoughts on Patrick Mahomes and Co. getting so much national coverage.
“It’s unbelievable to me,” Schefter said on his eponymous podcast. “Eight standalone games. Seven primetime games. Opening Friday night in Brazil against the Chargers, Thanksgiving Day in Dallas against the Cowboys, Christmas Day in Kansas City against the Broncos. They play on Veterans Day, Presidents’ Day, Hanukkah… If you were sick of Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes and Taylor Swift last year, get ready for this year. It’s going to be [a] Chiefs overload.”
“It just underscores how important Patrick Mahomes is to the National Football League. Because literally they’re getting value out of him at every step of the way,” continued Schefter. “They’re milking Patrick Mahomes for whatever he’s worth, and whatever the Chiefs are paying him isn’t enough. The league should have to chip in a stipend for all the ways that the league is benefitting.”
The Chiefs aren’t the only team the NFL is betting on to draw huge ratings, though. The Washington Commanders also have eight standalone games following quarterback Jayden Daniels’s breakout rookie campaign. As do the Dallas Cowboys, perennially “America’s Team,” even though they missed the playoffs last year and face an uncertain future with a new head coach.
But, in what could be Travis Kelce’s (and, by association, Taylor Swift’s) last ride, the Chiefs remain the biggest television juggernaut in 2025 for obvious reasons. For Schefter and likely many others in the NFL community, the league’s clear favoritism toward Kansas City is simply too hard to ignore.
