Win or lose, it could be a long trip home for the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, as the reigning Super Bowl champions could be plunged into more travel chaos with blizzard conditions continuing to sweep the Midwest.
After finally landing in Denver on Saturday night, following an hours-long flight delay, Patrick Mahomes and co. are set to take on their AFC West rivals in the final week of the NFL regular season on Sunday.
However, the No. 1 seed Chiefs will be grateful for their bye week in the postseason, as getting home may be another challenge.
A blizzard warning has been expanded to include the entire Kansas City metropolitan area, with the affected area stretching across Kansas and Missouri, according to Fox4 News.
40 mph winds, six to 12 inches of snow and near-blackout conditions were forecast for Sunday into early Monday morning, which could put the Chiefs’ return trip into doubt.
It comes after the Chiefs left Kansas City four hours late, and the winter storm left the team’s plane stranded on the tarmac.
New blizzard warnings have spread across the Midwest, encompassing Kansas City
The Kansas City Chiefs finally landed in Denver after a chaotic day of travel on Saturday.
After an hours-long delay, the Chiefs finally landed in the Mile High City, and Mahomes and Travis Kelce were filmed stepping off the plane onto the snowy tarmac.
According to Fox4 News, the Chiefs were originally scheduled to leave for Denver around 2:45 p.m. on Saturday. But it wasn’t until around 6:30 p.m. ET when they finally left.
The storm caused a “rapid buildup of ice” and forced authorities to close the airfield at Kansas City International Airport before the Chiefs could depart.
According to Fox4 News, the airport’s deicing machine failed, delaying the departure of flights.
Some planes were even said to have been diverted to Omaha, Nebraska, more than 500 miles east of Denver.
The Chiefs reportedly attempted to modify their travel plans to depart earlier in the day.
But the charter plane taking them to Denver arrived late in Kansas City, forcing Reid and company to stick to their scheduled departure time.
Andy Reid’s team will take on the 9-7 Broncos at 4:25 pm ET on Sunday. It’s usually just a two-hour flight from Denver to Kansas City.
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were among the players who traveled to Colorado
But even if the Chiefs manage to get away from Denver, it remains to be seen if they can return to Kansas City.
Quarterback Mahomes is resting for the game against the Broncos, and the Chiefs have already clinched the number one seed in the AFC.
There were some questions about whether Mahomes would travel with the team, given that he and his wife Brittany are expecting their third child “any day.”
Kelce could also miss Sunday’s game, but on Saturday both stars were filmed walking the runway in Colorado.