The Kansas City Chiefs can eliminate the rival Denver Broncos from playoff contention by beating them in Sunday's Week 18 game, but they can't return to Missouri immediately following the contest. A day after their scheduled takeoff from Kansas City International Airport was delayed due to rapid ice accumulation on the airfield, the Chiefs' team plane will be unable to return to Kansas City until at least Monday thanks to ongoing severe weather in the area, as CBS Sports' Tracy Wolfson reported.
Eight inches of snow had already hit Kansas City by Sunday afternoon, per Wolfson, with another four inches expected in the coming hours, leaving a thick layer of ice underneath snow at the K.C. airport.
Saturday's earlier airport closure lasted only about two hours, but it came amid warnings of a major winter storm in the area, with the National Weather Service forecasting blizzard conditions starting Saturday afternoon and lasting into Monday. Officials had indicated that travel may be "impossible" once heavy snow began to fall Sunday afternoon, with wind gusts also estimated to reach 35-40 miles per hour.
The Chiefs were originally scheduled to land in Denver at about 3 p.m. local time Saturday, per Wolfson. Their return to Kansas City is set to occur Monday, though it shouldn't affect their playoff schedule considering they're already locked into a first-round bye.