Big Noon Sunday: Why Chiefs Can’t Afford to Cram

Worthy played for the Texas Longhorns, who routinely played on FOX’s Big Noon Saturday. So, needless to say, Worthy isn’t worried about coming out flat for a rare noon game on Sunday (12 p.m. CT, CBS/KCTV, Channel 5, 96.5 The Fan) against the Raiders (2-4).

Mahomes wants to avoid flat start

And while Patrick Mahomes might not be worried about Worthy, the quarterback showed a dash of consternation with respect to the unusual kickoff time.

“I think it's something we can be better at, honestly,” Mahomes said Wednesday. “I mean, we haven't got that noon game this year. And I think last year we kind of came out flat in some of those games.

“And so, we have to have the mentality of getting your work done at night and making sure you get a good night's rest, preparing yourself maybe a little bit more during the week, so you don't have to get that last-minute study, kind of like cramming for an exam.”

The exam this week for the Chiefs (3-3) is to avoid a letdown, and Las Vegas is ready to break out. The Raiders’ record is a bit deceiving.

In Week 1, Las Vegas posted a 20-13 win at New England, impressive considering that the Patriots are 4-1 since that loss, including a victory at Buffalo. Las Vegas’ Week 4 loss to Chicago, 25-24, came in the final seconds.

And Ashton Jeanty, the sixth-overall selection in April’s draft, is ninth among all players with 424 rushing yards and tied for first among rookies with five scrimmage touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, Maxx Crosby already has four sacks, and the Raiders rank 10th in the NFL against the run.

“No matter who's playing on that field,” cornerback Trent McDuffie said Friday, “they're gonna play four quarters.

“We've seen around the league, you can't really sleep on anybody, no matter what the record is, no matter who you're playing. Teams come ready to play. We’re in the NFL, so can't look over anybody, and got to bring your A game.”

Different schedule of preparation

Speaking of sleep, McDuffie said the Chiefs have taken steps this week to prepare differently for a noon kickoff.

“We'll be at the stadium by 10 o'clock, warming up by 11. So, it's a little bit quicker, little bit faster. So, you kind of want to get your work done all during the week; you don’t want to be there on Sunday morning trying to hustle around.

“Waking up early, trying to do things so really, just getting the gameplan in, and knowing what your job is by the time Saturday night rolls around, so you can go to sleep and wake up ready to go.”

That routine has served the Chiefs well. They’ve won nine consecutive noon Sundays, and they’re 11-1 overall in that timeslot on any day since an early 2022 loss at Indianapolis. Their only noon loss over the last three-plus years, ironically, came against the Raiders on a Christmas Monday in 2023.

“You want to prepare yourself throughout the week,” Mahomes said, “and so that when you wake up in the morning, you're fresh, you're ready to go, you get to the stadium, and you get out there and start the right way, and don't start flat and have to dig yourself out of a hole.”