2020 NFL Schedule: Game-by-game predictions for the Kansas City Chiefs
With the 2020 NFL Schedule release, we can look ahead and figure out exactly how the Chiefs may fair this season, with our game-by-game predictions.
Coming off the franchise’s first Super Bowl Championship in 50 years, expectations have rarely been higher for the Kansas City Chiefs.
In 2019, their 12-4 regular season finish was good enough for their fourth consecutive AFC West title and the second seed in the AFC—a seed which they carried all the way to Super Bowl LIV in Miami and a championship win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Heading in to 2020, according to oddsmakers, the Chiefs have the best chance to win Super Bowl LV, and are favored in nearly every contest.
However, when we look at the schedule itself, do those projections actually make sense for Kansas City?
Weeks 1-4
Week 1
124. Prediction. 21. 10. 38
The Houston Texans embarrassed the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs a season ago with a 24-0 pounding—for the first 15 minutes of the game. For the final 45 minutes, the Chiefs pinned one of the most dominant performances the NFL has ever seen on Bill O’Brien‘s seemingly helpless ball club, outscoring Houston 51-7 over the game’s final three quarters, to end their season. The Texans are worse than the playoff version from a year ago after a confusing offseason. The Chiefs are better, still hungry, and hanging a banner in this one. Expect Patrick ‘Showtime’ Mahomes to show up in a big way in prime time.
Week 2
29. 124. 13. 13. Prediction
The Los Angeles Chargers are going to be the worst team in the AFC West in 2020, and they’ll find themselves picking once again in the top 10 in the 2021 NFL Draft. That is a reflection of the offense, and especially the offensive line and quarterback positions. The defense, though, is going to be a top 10 unit in football. Despite that, the Chiefs will score a lot of points in every single game, and the Chargers will not be able to keep pace. None of this is to mention the Chiefs get extra rest before this one, coming off the Thursday night season opener. The Chiefs defense has no issues in this one, and even with an off day, the offense gets the job done.
Week 3
26. Prediction. 31. 124. 34
There are only two teams in the NFL that should consistently contend with Kansas City, and they’re both road games on the schedule in 2020 (Baltimore Ravens and New Orleans Saints). The Chiefs may defeat both, but it seems more likely that they split or even lose them both. The rushing attack Baltimore will roll out in 2020 is better than the 2019 version, and the receiving threats are still there. The Ravens defense is the best unit in football. The Chiefs are in for a battle in Baltimore.
Week 4
Prediction. 18. 47. 38. 124
The New England Patriots may (or may not) be “Tanking for Trevor,” but regardless of what the plan is, 2020 is not going to be it for the Pats. They have limited pass-catching options with even more limited quarterback options, and every other part of the team appears on paper to be worse than the 2019 iteration. The Chiefs run away with this one and never look back.