Every year, the Kansas City Chiefs, as well as many other NFL teams, fall victim to the classic "trap game." Those are the games that appear easy when looking at the schedule and may even look easier due to the other team's injury report or overall play up until that point, yet Kansas City seems to get its leg stuck in the trap at least once a season.Â
This season is no different, as there are plenty of "easy" games that Chiefs fans are already jotting down as a W in the win-loss column before they even see a preseason game, let alone a game that means something. But with Patrick Mahomes entering Year 10, the mindset of the team heading into these "easy" games might finally mean that Kansas City could avoid the embarrassing losses of the last few years.Â
Famously, the Chiefs have dropped very winnable games like their Christmas matchup against the Raiders in 2023, when Las Vegas was one of the worst teams in the league. Or the victory that turned into a loss in Indianapolis when Chris Jones muttered something worthy of a penalty, which led to Matt Ryan—in his oldest, most geriatric form—to finish the game-winning drive in 2022.Â
This year there are a handful of games on the Chiefs schedule that are already looking great for K.C., especially when looking at over-unders, point spreads, and analyst predictions so far this week. But that doesn't mean the Chiefs should be looking ahead to the next week, as they've learned almost yearly.Â
Week 2: Indianapolis @ Kansas City
For some reason, the Colts seem to put a thorn in the Chiefs' side no matter how good or bad either team is, especially in the last decade under Andy Reid. In fact, since 2013 Reid has lost three of five games against Indianapolis, including one of the worst collapses in postseason history back in January 2014.Â
That weird monkey on the back of Reid and Mahomes returns in the form of a Sunday Night Football game in just the second week of the season.Â
At this point, it is still unclear whether Daniel "Danny Dimes" Jones will be healthy enough to start in Week 2. Mahomes' status is also a question. So this game, while the NFL believes it will be a powerhouse battle, could be fought out by backups under center for all we know.Â
With that said, the Colts had one of the best starts to a season in a long time last year and could have continued that success into the postseason if it weren't for Jones' leg injury and a flurry of bad decisions like trading first-round picks for a cornerback midseason.Â
The game being at Arrowhead elevates the chances of this being a trap game, mainly because of how much home-field advantage Chiefs Kingdom brings to every single game. That's when players get a little complacent, or when they believe the game is already in the bag despite there still being time left on the clock.Â
No matter who is starting under center on either side of the ball, no matter how much home-field advantage there might be at Arrowhead, there is always a way that Reid and Mahomes can lose to the Colts. And if they want to avoid starting 0-2 like last season—or possibly 1-1—they will need to truly prepare for the Colts game on September 20 as if it were happening in January.Â
Week 3: Kansas City @ Miami
I know what you're thinking: "They could be the worst team in the league this year!" And you're exactly right ... and that's exactly what constitutes this as a trap game. Not only will it be the Chiefs' first road game of the year, but it will come after back-to-back primetime games to open the 2026 season.Â
The attrition might already be affecting Mahomes and his leg, or it could show through in the age of Travis Kelce and Chris Jones. Either way, the first road game of the season is a noon game in Miami where the stadium is purposefully creating a disadvantage for away teams.Â
Hard Rock Stadium, known for leaving opposing teams in the hot, blistering Florida sun, is not an easy place to play during the daytime no matter who is coaching or throwing the ball on the other side.Â
That's exactly what the Chiefs front office, coaching staff, and players will all be thinking as well, making this the perfect setup for one of the annual random losses that everybody believes would be a victory if the two teams played each other again.Â
There won't be much tape of the Dolphins' new QB Malik Willis, and their new head coach doesn't have much of a résumé to look back at for Coach Reid, DC Steve Spagnuolo, and returning OC Eric Bieniemy. This means that some of the game will be "played blind" until they can get a feel for who they are playing, and by then it could be too little, too late.Â
Miami will almost certainly have a top-five pick in next year's draft, but that doesn't mean they won't sneak a win in every few weeks or so—and the Chiefs just might be that win if Kansas City doesn't prepare for the heat and prepare for the unknown down in Florida.Â
Week 14: Kansas City @ Cincinnati
The Bengals used to be one of the biggest threats to the Chiefs up until the last few seasons, and neither Kansas City nor Cincinnati has forgotten that. "Burrowhead" and the 2021-23 Bengals have gotten lost in mediocrity thanks to the collapse of their defense, which gave up the third-most points last season and the second-most yards.Â
But they have bolstered that defense, even after letting go of their centerpiece, Trey Hendrickson, this offseason. Even then, this game always feels like a coin flip heading into the week because of the animosity that Bengals players and fans have for Kansas City. This showed a few years ago when star receiver Ja'Marr Chase got penalized after throwing a temper tantrum at the refs thanks to the padlock defense of Trent McDuffie.Â
That was then, this is now. And "now" will take place in the midst of the Chiefs' most brutal stretch of opponents this season. The game, which will take place in the Bengals' stadium, comes 10 days after a Thursday matchup in Los Angeles versus the Rams, 17 days after the annual matchup in Buffalo, and just eight days before a pivotal home game against the defending AFC champion Patriots.Â
All of those insanely talented teams being placed around Cincinnati's game means the Chiefs will have to be hyper-focused, they will have to not take anything for granted, and they will have to use those extra 2-3 days before the matchup to really rest, recover, rehabilitate, and prepare.Â
A "trap game" can happen for plenty of reasons: the opponent is weaker, the home crowd is a non-factor, the other team is coming off a short week, etc. And with this game in Week 14, none of those are really the case ...Â
Instead, the Bengals' team is stacked on offense, their crowd is known for being ravenous and loud, and the Chiefs will actually be coming off a long week. All of these factors make the game feel like it could be a long day for Mahomes and company, and it could be a rough notch in the loss column if Reid doesn't have the team fully prepared for that gauntlet of teams around the month of December.Â
Honorable Mentions:
Week 10: Kansas City @ Atlanta
The Falcons are a mess of an organization. They have Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and two left-handed quarterbacks with serious injury concerns at every corner. By this point in the season, we will likely have seen whether the Falcons (as well as the Chiefs) are legit contenders or pretenders, but no matter what, the likelihood of that noon game in Atlanta looking ugly for Kansas City should be treated as a possible reality.Â
Week 11: Arizona @ Kansas City
Much like the Miami game, this team is already being panned as an easy win for K.C. because of how dysfunctional the organization is and how fresh the talent on the team is. The biggest difference is the location (Arrowhead vs. Hard Rock Stadium) and the timing. This game is the last one before the 5-6 week stretch of intense competition, and even though players and coaches preach about "not looking ahead to next games," they will likely all have the Buffalo game in the back of their heads since it is only four days after the Arizona game. That could lead to some sloppy play, a lack of aggression on offense, and just an overall trap-game mentality by the time the final whistle blows.Â
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