NFL training camp is right around the corner, but the Chiefs’ easy schedule in 2026 needs to be investigated by league officials. They only have four difficult road games outside of the division, and few teams on the schedule upgraded their roster in a meaningful way. Meanwhile, Kansas City upgraded their defense in free agency, and ought to be highly motivated to return to the top of the league after a disappointing 2025. The NFL didn’t have to help Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and their friends with one of the easiest paths to the playoffs in recent memory.
Why The Chiefs’ Easy Schedule Is A Problem
The Chiefs’ cakewalk to the playoffs begins with back-to-back games in primetime, with home match-ups against the Broncos and the Colts in Weeks 1 and 2, respectively. Even though Denver has an elite defense, the way the team botched the AFC Championship game and the inconsistent play of Bo Nix makes them fraudulent. Indianapolis is similar with how it couldn’t convert a hot start into a playoff berth last season. Daniel Jones playing through a broken fibula before tearing his Achilles played a part in missing the postseason. Kansas City then hits the road to take on a pair of rebuilding franchises, the Dolphins and the Raiders, prior to the bye week.
After the break, the Chiefs have an interesting stretch on paper with a home contest against the Chargers, and two road match-ups with the Seahawks and Broncos.
LA should be improved from 2025 (signing David Njoku will be fantastic for that offense), and Seattle lost key assets in free agency. Having already played Denver twice by this point in the season will be huge for Kansas City. Lumen Field and Empower Field at Mile High are difficult places to play, but both games are certainly winnable.
Following three weeks where they will be battling teams that are likely to have Top 10 picks in the 2027 NFL Draft (the Jets, Falcons, and Cardinals), the Chiefs have a six-week gauntlet that has massive postseason implications. They travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills at Thanksgiving, who changed their head coach and almost nothing else. Mahomes and company then journeys to the West Coast for a contest with the Rams, another playoff team that didn’t upgrade their roster. To close out the road stand, they move on to Cincinnati for a Sunday showdown with the Bengals. Joe Burrow’s squad changed very little despite going 6-11 a season ago.
Kansas City returns home for a Monday night match-up against the defending AFC champion Patriots. It’s hard to tell what New England will be like at this point in 2026, as the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini saga will have certainly taken its toll on the team. The Chiefs host the 49ers after that, who had a disappointing 2025 with Brock Purdy being injured for much of the season. They take on another California team in a road contest with the Charger, in a game that has divisional and playoff implications. KC wraps up the regular season by hosting the Raiders, in what should have very little stakes for both teams.
Prediction For Kansas City In 2026
To say the Chiefs have an easy schedule would be a severe understatement. They have few difficult games away from Arrowhead, and those games are later in the season when injuries are more likely to be a factor. It’s clear that the NFL wants Kansas City back in the playoffs, and is manifesting that with collusion.
If not, why is the schedule set up in this way? At worst, Andy Reid’s team should be 12-5, with how the slate of games is suspiciously lined up. Football fans need to get ready for Mahomes’ “acting” during State Farm advertisements and the Taylor Swift split screen view during key NFL games this season.
