The schedule release is one of the most pivotal dates on the NFL calendar. This is when every NFL team finds out who they will face and when those games will take place. All 32 teams will also discover how many games they will play in front of a national audience, with some teams receiving more exposure than others.
To little surprise, the Kansas City Chiefs' schedule has been nothing but primetime and marquee late-afternoon matchups for the entirety of the Patrick Mahomes era. However, the Chiefs are coming off a season in which they were one of the league's worst teams, a far cry from previous years.
Despite this, it would come as a surprise if the Chiefs don't yet again reach the maximum amount of primetime matchups in 2026. Any team with Patrick Mahomes is a safe bet to be put on national television on a consistent basis. Additionally, the Chiefs' roster around Mahomes should be substantially improved from what we saw last year, namely with the addition of Kenneth Walker to the backfield. On Thursday, it was reported by CNBC reporter Alex Sherman that the league's official schedule release will take place either Wednesday or Thursday of next week.
Without further ado, here is my official prediction of how the Chiefs 2026 schedule will shake out.
Week 1: @ Miami Dolphins (12 p.m. CT on CBS)
While I still heavily anticipate the Chiefs playing in many marquee games next season, I do not think it will start that way, as I have them opening the season in the early window. The reasoning for this is the fact that Patrick Mahomes is coming off a torn ACL from just five months ago. While it's appearing all but certain that Mahomes will be on the field come Week 1, the NFL schedule makers may play it safe. A way to do that is to open the year against what many project to be the league's worst team in 2026.
Week 2: Los Angeles Chargers (3:25 p.m. CT on CBS)
For their home opener, I have the Chiefs hosting their division rivals on CBS's marquee game of the week. It would be surprising to have Mahomes and company play consecutive games in front of a limited audience, and the Chargers feel like a reasonable opponent in this spot. For starters, the most recent time Mahomes was on an NFL field was against this same team at Arrowhead Stadium, not to mention the fact that the Chargers swept the Chiefs in 2025.
Week 3: Indianapolis Colts (12 p.m. CT on CBS)
While the Chiefs' first home game is against the last team they faced with Mahomes on the field, their second home contest comes against the last team that they beat. Kansas City's 23-20 overtime victory over Indianapolis in Week 12 was the last time they won a game. In fact, these teams hold the two longest active losing streaks in the NFL, as the Colts' last win came in Week 10. Due to both teams fizzling out a year ago, I don't anticipate this being a primetime matchup, hence the noon kickoff.
Week 4: @ Los Angeles Rams (7:20 p.m. CT on ESPN/ABC)
I have the Chiefs' first primetime game coming against the current betting favorite to win Super Bowl LXI on Monday Night Football. The last time the Chiefs faced the Rams on the road, one of the greatest regular-season games in NFL history ensued, which also took place on a Monday night. Assuming all goes well, Mahomes should be eased in by this point, and this matchup is too enticing not to be in primetime.
Week 5: New England Patriots (7:20 p.m. CT on NBC)
In Week 5, I have the Chiefs hosting the defending AFC champions on Sunday Night Football. The Chiefs and Patriots have represented the AFC in 9 of the past 10 Super Bowls, and this is the first matchup between Mahomes and Drake Maye. It would be stunning if the NFL bypasses the opportunity to put this game in front of a national audience.
Week 6: @ Las Vegas Raiders (3:05 p.m. CT on CBS)
The Chiefs head to the stadium in which they have won more playoff games than its host team has. All joking aside, the Chiefs' matchups against the Raiders this season have more intrigue than in years past due to the additions of first overall pick Fernando Mendoza, new head coach Klint Kubiak, and notable free-agent signings such as Tyler Linderbaum, Quay Walker, Nakobe Dean, and Jalen Nailor. That said, a matchup between teams that combined to win just nine games a year ago is likely to be buried in the late window.
Week 7: San Francisco 49ers (3:25 p.m. CT on FOX)
The Chiefs' lone contest on the primary NFC channel comes against a two-time Super Bowl opponent. The 49ers are just one piece of the three-headed monster in the NFC West, and it can be assumed that all three games will be in marquee spots. The last two times the Chiefs have faced the 49ers in the regular season (2022 and 2024), it has been in Week 7 on FOX's America's Game of the Week. With both teams entering the 2026 season with lofty goals, I see this trend continuing.
Week 8: Bye
I predict that the Chiefs' off week will take place during Week 8. There is no rationale behind this other than it may seem logical coming off a marquee inner-conference matchup, and the most populated bye week of last season was in Week 8 (six different teams were on a bye).
Week 9: @ Atlanta Falcons (7:20 PM p.m. on Amazon Prime)
The Falcons are the Chiefs' "extra" opponent in 2026 due to their placement in their respective divisions. The Chiefs' last trip to Atlanta in 2024 was in primetime, as they defeated the Falcons 22-17 on Sunday Night Football. The Falcons are an interesting team, as they hired two-time Coach of the Year winner Kevin Stefanski in January and present a roster with stars like Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Jessie Bates. There are always some unexpected matchups on Thursday Night Football, and this could fit that bill.
Week 10: @ Buffalo Bills (3:25 PM p.m. on CBS)
The annual Chiefs-Bills regular-season game will take place again, as this will be the seventh consecutive season that these teams have faced off. For the third consecutive year, the Chiefs will travel to Orchard Park to take on Josh Allen and company. In 2024, the Chiefs and Bills played in Week 11, and last season they played in Week 9. For this matchup, the schedule makers split the difference and have the two AFC titans square off in Week 10. For the Chiefs, the hope is to snap a five-game regular-season losing streak against Buffalo.
Week 11: New York Jets (12 PM p.m. on CBS)
Following the yearly dogfight with the Bills, the Chiefs get a reprieve with a home date against the Jets. The Jets are coming off a three-win season, and while they've made some meaningful additions, expectations are once again low for Gang Green. For this reason, this game will likely be an early-window kickoff on CBS—a time slot the Jets have owned for the last decade.
Week 12: Denver Broncos (3:25 p.m. CT on CBS)
In this prediction, the schedule makers save the Chiefs' first matchup against their top division rival for Week 12. A large reason for this is the health status of both quarterbacks, as Bo Nix is still recovering from the fractured ankle he suffered last postseason. It would be logical for the NFL to wait until later in the year to ensure both Mahomes and Nix are fully healthy for a game that could decide the AFC West.
Week 13: @ Los Angeles Chargers (7:20 p.m. CT on ESPN/ABC)
If this prediction proves to be correct (unlikely, but I can dream), the Chiefs will be headed to SoFi for both Monday Night Football games this season. Due to the Chargers being in the Los Angeles market, the fact they are coming off consecutive postseason appearances, and the quarterback matchup between Mahomes and Justin Herbert, I can see both Chargers games being in their network's primary slots.
Week 14: @ Seattle Seahawks (7:20 p.m. CT on NBC)
I predict that the Chiefs' trip from the middle of America to the Pacific Northwest to face the defending champs will be a marquee late-season bout. The defining team of this era against the league's best from a year ago will almost certainly be in a primetime slot. Should Kansas City return to form, this will be a game that every NFL fan (and Kenneth Walker III) circles on their calendar when the official schedule is released.
Week 15: Arizona Cardinals (12 p.m. CT on CBS)
Every Chiefs fan knows how their matchup against the Cardinals will go. This game has "late-season game that the Chiefs sleepwalk their way to an uninspiring victory" written all over it. It will be cold. One of Jacoby Brissett, old friend Gardner Minshew, or Carson Beck will be under center. Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta will be on the call. The Cardinals will have three wins or fewer entering the game. Lastly, and most likely, it will be tied at 17 at the two-minute warning.
Week 16: @ Cincinnati Bengals (7:20 p.m. CT on NBC)
According to my prediction, the Chiefs will head to Cincinnati for their second road Sunday Night Football game in three weeks. It wasn't long ago when this was the premier rivalry in the AFC, when the Bengals denied the Chiefs a Super Bowl appearance in 2021, only for Kansas City to return the favor the following year. Provided Joe Burrow stays healthy, the Bengals should be an exciting watch in 2026. Every Chiefs-Bengals matchup has come down to the wire and could be an absolute thrill as a late-season primetime showcase.
Week 17: @ Denver Broncos (12 p.m. CT on Netflix-Christmas Day)
The Chiefs playing on Christmas Day has become a yearly tradition, as they have had a December 25 contest for three consecutive seasons. These two teams faced each other last Christmas, although that matchup lost its luster with Mahomes being out and the Chiefs being mathematically eliminated from postseason contention. I can definitely see the league schedule makers giving it a second go-around, with Mahomes in the fold and both teams (hopefully) having something meaningful to play for.
Week 18: Las Vegas Raiders (TBD)
For the second year in a row, the Chiefs wrap up their regular season against the Raiders, only this time the game takes place in Kansas City rather than Allegiant Stadium. I can say with full confidence that the Week 18 game between the Chiefs and Raiders in January is the worst NFL game I have ever seen. Hopefully, Mahomes and Mendoza give us a better product than what Chris Oladokun and Kenny Pickett put forth.
In a week, we will see how close this prediction was to reality. Certainly, I will be off base in some instances, but I feel this is a reasonable schedule for the Chiefs this season. Most importantly, the approaching schedule release reminds us all that we are one day closer to football being back in our lives.
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