The Kansas City Chiefs are the NFL's most wanted enemy. Fans of opposing teams reveled in their stunning 40-22 blowout loss in Super Bowl LIX that ended a near three-year run atop the league.
Now given they return the same core captained by Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, they will still likely remain a force. After all, they have ended each of the last seven seasons having at least appeared in the AFC Championship.
Some coincidental yet controversial endings to a many of their games last season have only exacerbated those negative feelings. Unfortunately, the NFL's official schedule release gave those haters more motivation for their delusion.
The Chiefs will play in seven primetime games next season, the most of any team. Usually, that number is capped at six, but the league made it work through a loophole.
The primetime contests count towards games played on Thursday, Sunday and Monday - not Friday. Kansas City claims that seventh game through their season opener in the São Paulo Game on Friday, September 5.
Would that technically qualify as "fair?" Maybe not. But the NFL knows where their value is in the schedule and that trumps all. And the Chiefs are not the only guilty party in that respect.
Coming off a 7-10 season, the Dallas Cowboys find themselves in six primetime slots, setting a record with four Thursday games this season.
Ironically, those two fanbases are now quibbling over the moniker for "America's Team" and will settle their differences in one of the most anticipated matchups of the season on Thanksgiving Day.
Nonetheless, the Chiefs will be shouldering that burden of a wide audience yet again, regardless of how fans feel about their team or their schedule.