The Kansas City Chiefs’ weekend went from bad to worse Sunday night when they were left stranded in Denver following a blowout loss to the Broncos.
The reigning Super Bowl champions will be grateful that they already had the AFC No. 1 seed locked down ahead of Week 18 after they endured a disastrous result and more travel woes Sunday.
Having rested some of their key players, including Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, the Chiefs suffered a humiliating shutout loss to the Broncos, who clinched their playoff spot on the final day of the NFL regular season.
But the Chiefs couldn’t even escape to Kansas City to lick their wounds as winter storms left them stuck on the ground in the Mile High City.
As a blizzard swept through the Midwest, Kansas City’s airport was locked down, preventing the Chiefs from making the return trip Sunday night.
And the severe weather conditions meant the Chiefs’ team bus only departed the hotel en route to the airport at around 8:30am local time.
The Chiefs were delayed in returning to Kansas City after their loss to the Denver Broncos
It comes after the reigning Super Bowl champions also suffered travel chaos Saturday
A blizzard warning had been expanded Sunday to include the entire Kansas City Metro, with the affected area spreading across both Kansas and Missouri, according to Fox4 News.
40mph winds, six to 12 inches of blowing snow and near whiteout conditions were forecast for Sunday into the early hours of Monday morning.
The delay comes after the Chiefs suffered more travel chaos in their attempt to make it to Denver for Sunday’s showdown.
The Chiefs left Kansas City four hours behind schedule, with the winter storm leaving the team plane stranded on the runway.
After being delayed for hours, the Chiefs eventually landed in the Mile High City, with Mahomes and Travis Kelce filmed stepping off the aircraft onto the snowy runway.
According to Fox4 News, the Chiefs were originally due to leave for Denver around 2:45pm on Saturday. But it wasn’t until around 6:30pm ET when they finally set off.
The storm led to ‘rapid ice accumulation’ and forced the authorities to close the airfield at Kansas City International Airport – before the Chiefs could leave.
According to Fox4 News, the airport’s de-icing machine malfunctioned, delaying the departure of flights.
Some planes, it was said, were even diverted to Omaha, Nebraska – more than 500 miles east of Denver.
