Gardner Minshew is back. Not just back in the league, but back as a *starter*, and he is marching his Arizona Cardinals right into Arrowhead Stadium on November 22nd to face his old team, the Kansas City Chiefs. It is a twist nobody saw coming for a player who was just a backup last year, and now he is on a hot streak while his former squad is absolutely reeling.
The Minshew Comeback No One Predicted
Remember Minshew with the Chiefs? It was just last year, 2025, when he inked a one-year, $1.17 million deal to back up Patrick Mahomes. That experience quickly turned into a nightmare. Mahomes got hit with a season-ending ACL and LCL injury in Week 15, thrusting Minshew into the starting role. But then, disaster struck again: Minshew himself broke his tibial plateau during his Week 16 start against the Tennessee Titans, ending his season too. Talk about brutal luck.
Fast forward to the 2026 offseason, and Minshew signs with the Cardinals. Last week, he took over for starter Jacoby Brissett, and what did he do? He led the squad to a thrilling 33-30 win over the Dallas Cowboys. He is riding high, confidence is surging, and now he gets to face the team that let him walk, in a stadium he knows well. The storyline writes itself, doesn’t it?
Chiefs Are Falling Apart After A Super Bowl Hangover
While Minshew is soaring, the Chiefs are in a full-blown tailspin. They need a win so bad it is not even funny, especially after that absolutely brutal loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday, November 1st. They were up by 11 points, had control, and then just *collapsed*. The Broncos piled on 15 straight points in the fourth quarter to stun them 28-24 and snatched away the division lead. This team started 5-0, people, and now they have dropped consecutive games, including a complete shellacking last weekend from your Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. Yeah, we did that.
Sky Sports NFL’s Jeff Reinebold nailed it on “Inside the Huddle”, saying the Broncos loss “will be one that is gonna haunt them for a long time because this was a game where they could have taken control of the division.” Patrick Mahomes, usually unflappable, walked off that field looking like he had seen a ghost, showing pure disappointment, frustration, and regret. Their fourth quarter was a disaster, full of mistakes that cost them the lead and their AFC West standing. Mahomes himself admitted, “The execution just wasn’t at a high enough level. We made big plays, and we made plays happen against a really good defense, but you’ve got to execute for the full 60 minutes. We weren’t able to do it.”
Can They Get Their Line Back Together For The Fight?
The Minshew revenge game is a huge narrative, but the Chiefs might have an even bigger story brewing with offensive tackle Josh Simmons. He is finally eligible for activation off injured reserve this week, having sat out the mandatory four games. Simmons has not played all season after injuring his back with a bulging disc during training camp. He tried to practice in Week 6 but did not see action against the Chargers, then had a setback that landed him on IR. Getting Simmons back against the Cardinals would be huge news for that struggling offense. Rookie Kahlil Benson has stepped up under pressure, but Simmons is a significant improvement, no doubt.
The Chiefs are staring down a three-game stretch where they absolutely *must* take care of business. They host the New York Jets in Week 9, travel to Atlanta to face the Falcons in Week 10, and then, yep, Minshew and the Arizona Cardinals come to town for Week 11. All three of those teams have losing records. To stay anywhere near the hunt for that AFC West title after this brutal two-game losing streak, the Chiefs have to win these games. They cannot afford another loss to a team they are supposed to beat.
So, as Minshew and the Cardinals roll into town on November 22nd, it is not just a reunion, it is a statement game the Chiefs absolutely cannot mess up if they want to get their season back on track.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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