KC Chiefs Schedule 2023: Game-by-game predictions for upcoming season

WEEK 18, Jan. 6-7 (TBD) – @ Los Angeles Chargers

It feels weird to predict a loss at any time for the Chiefs, but going 6-0 against the division is tough to do again and again, even if the Chiefs are dominating the West on a historic level. And if we’re going to give one team a victory over the Chiefs, it’s not going to be the Raiders or Broncos at this stage.

Last season, the Chargers lost both games to the Chiefs but the total point differential was only six total points. In the two seasons prior to that, the Bolts were able to split the season series. It just feels right to let them have another one here.

That’s not to say this is any sort of gimme for Los Angeles. They are a strong organization that has Super Bowl aspirations with high-end talent on both sides of the ball. Justin Herbert is an excellent quarterback who should enjoy having a new top-tier pass catcher in Quentin Johnston to partner with Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, giving the team more depth in the face of potential injuries than ever before. And things would feel even better if they could solve their rift with running back Austin Ekeler. (Then again this could be a gimme if the Chiefs have already corraled the top seed in the conference, in which case Andy Reid would rest his starters.)

The Chargers have the horses on both sides of the ball to keep up with the Chiefs and we think they’ll knock off the favorites on their home turf, despite the lack of a notable SoFi advantage.

Prediction: Chargers 27, Chiefs 22

Conclusion

If the 2023 NFL regular-season schedule plays out like this, the Kansas City Chiefs will end up with a 14-3—a position that would likely include an eighth straight finish atop their own division in the AFC West and a good chance at grabbing that top seed in the AFC in order to avoid playing in the opening round of the postseason. That’s not a guarantee, of course, but it’s so difficult for teams to win week in and week out in the NFL that it’s hard to picture someone else doing better than that.

As exciting as this sounds, the truth is that we’ve all become used to this level of success. 14-3 doesn’t sound like a reach at all. It’s par for the course for a quarterback who has won 80 percent of the games he’s started since taking over at quarterback five years ago. Now the Chiefs have given him stronger protection, a few new weapons, and a deeper defense than ever before. Good luck to the rest of the NFL.