Disney’s new NFL collection gave every team a character matchup, and the Chiefs landed on a pretty fitting one.
While fans spent Monday waiting to see who each franchise would get in the Disney x NFL lineup, Kansas City ended up with The Big Bad Wolf. That choice lines up neatly with how the Chiefs have looked around the league: one of the most feared teams in football, even after last season’s bump.
The collection paired all 32 NFL teams with Disney characters, and the choices ranged from obvious to eyebrow-raising. The Browns were matched with Pluto instead of Mickey Mouse.
The Raiders drew Darth Vader. The Broncos got Maximus from “Tangled,” and the Chargers were assigned Hercules & Pegasus.
For Kansas City, the wolf made sense. According to the Disney Fandom website, “The Big Bad Wolf (Full name: Zeke Midas ‘Ezekiel’ Wolf) is the main antagonist of the Silly Symphony short The Three Little Pigs,” and “As his name suggests, he is a ruthless, conniving wolf who variably plots to eat the Three Little Pigs.
The crafty wolf often relies on gaudy disguises to accomplish his schemes. But his greatest attributes are his infamous ‘huffs and puffs,’ which are powerful enough to blow houses in.”
That fits the Chiefs’ reputation, especially with Patrick Mahomes doing so much damage on the road. He owns a 46-17 record in road games during his career and has been especially effective against the AFC West’s “three piggies.”
Mahomes has never lost at Allegiant Stadium, the Raiders’ home. He is 6-2 in Denver and 6-1 against the Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
In games played in another team’s home stadium, Mahomes has posted a 104.0 quarterback rating with 143 touchdown passes and 43 interceptions.
In Other News...
Chiefs Roster Shuffle Already Sent One Defender To A New AFC Team
The Chiefs linebacker depth took another turn this week when the club released Anthony Dunn, a defensive end-linebacker who quickly landed with the New York Jets. Kansas City needed the roster space to make room for Cam Jones, with injuries already thinning the linebacking corps and forcing another adjustment as the team tries to stabilize that part of the defense.
Dunns move gives the Jets a fresh look at a player who was pushed out of a crowded Chiefs roster situation rather than a lack of interest elsewhere. New York brought him in to replace Nate Voorhis with one week left before active roster cuts, a reminder of how quickly the bottom of the roster can change as teams across the league sort through injuries, depth concerns and the final evaluation window. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Long Shot Is Suddenly Forcing A Tough Roster Call
Ethan Hurketts path with the Chiefs has already taken a couple of turns, and now the undrafted rookie free agent has worked his way back into the conversation after an early release and a quick re-signing following a season-ending injury to another player. Joining training camp late did not stop him from getting on the field in preseason games, where he logged a notable share of defensive snaps and earned a favorable look from the coaching staff.
The challenge for Kansas City is deciding how much of that late momentum to bank on. Hurkett still looks like a long shot to crack the 53-man roster, but his performance has made him a real candidate for the practice squad and, possibly, a player other teams could notice if he is exposed. For a team always weighing depth and development at the back end of the roster, that creates a small but meaningful decision to sort through. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Changed The NFL Spotlight In A Way That Raises Questions
Taylor Swifts presence at Chiefs games has done more than add another star to the suites. It has pushed Kansas City and the NFL into a brighter, broader spotlight, drawing more media attention and clearly widening the leagues reach with younger and more casual viewers. For a franchise that already sits at the center of the sports modern conversation, the added attention has become part of the weekly routine.
The bigger question is what the league does with it now. The commercial pull of the Swift effect is obvious, but so is the risk of the conversation drifting away from the players and the game itself. League observers see a chance to turn temporary curiosity into longer-term football interest, even as they acknowledge the bump may not last forever. [Read more 🡒]