Latest Chiefs 2025 schedule release predictions include Kansas City opening the NFL season in a way they never have before

Since 2015, the Chiefs have played in three international games: One in London in 2015, one in Mexico City in 2019, and one in Frankfurt in 2023. They were supposed to have another in Mexico City against the Rams in 2018, but it was moved to Los Angeles due to poor field conditions. All of those games occurred in November, so this would also be the earliest international series game for Kansas City. 

The Chiefs are the NFL's most successful franchise at drawing eyeballs to a game over the past seven seasons. An NFL executive called them the "bell-cow" just last year. So, if the NFL wants attention on an international season opener on YouTube's streaming platform, having Kansas City as one of the teams playing makes a lot of sense. They're also due for an international game, and getting it out of the way at the start of the season would be a massive bonus for Kansas City. However, losing a matchup against the Chargers in So-Fi Stadium (AKA Arrowhead Pacific) is a small drawback. 

Prediction 2: The Chiefs' home opener will be on Sunday, Sept. 14

This might seem like a no-brainer given that the Chiefs will open the season with a road international game in Week 1, but there's another fairly obvious reason why K.C. will get its home opener on Sunday in Week 2. Their neighbor at the Truman Sports Complex, the Kansas City Royals, will be on the road for a series with the Philadelphia Phillies. The NFL and MLB typically don't like to overlap Chiefs and Royals games, given the parking lot situation, but also because a lot of overlap in the two fan bases.

Prediction 3: The Chiefs won't play on Christmas Day in 2025

After the NFL announced that Netflix would host a Christmas Day triple-header, news began circulating that the Chiefs had asked the league to make the team a staple on the annual holiday. The NFL has since said they don't want to do this, and while you can't always trust in their front-facing comments, I tend to believe them on this. 

Legitimately, I think they want to avoid making any singular team a holiday staple the way they've made teams like the Cowboys, Lions, and Commanders staples on Thanksgiving. Why? They want flexibility in creating the schedule in a way they see fit that will drive broadcast numbers. If their broadcast partners win, they win. It's really that simple. The Chiefs are more valuable during the Patrick Mahomes era on days that aren't holidays because fans will tune in and watch.

Prediction 4: The Chiefs will get another early bye week

Last year, the Chiefs had the earliest bye week of the Patrick Mahomes era, a Week 6 bye week. Fans were very concerned about this, but ultimately, it didn't significantly affect the team's ability to get to Super Bowl LIX. In 2025, I expect them to have another early bye week instead of one later in the year. Why? Because the league rarely gives in on scheduling complaints. They do what's best for business regarding the schedule.

There was a lot of noise surrounding aspects of the Chiefs' schedule last year related to playing three games in 10 days late in the season, the early bye week, and playing on practically every day of the week. It wasn't just from the fan base either. Players spoke out about the fact that they didn't like it, or that they at least felt disadvantaged at times. While I don't think it'll be the earliest possible bye week (Week 5), I wouldn't be shocked if the Chiefs' bye week came before Week 10 of the 2025 NFL season. A Week 7 or Week 8 bye would make a ton of sense to me. 

Prediction 5: The Chiefs will play the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 18

You have to go back to the 2008 NFL season to find the last time the Chiefs played a non-AFC West opponent (Cincinnati Bengals) in the final week of the regular season. It's an NFL schedule pattern for Kansas City you might not have caught, but it serves a particular purpose: keeping games competitive in the season's final weeks. 

What better way to forecast a meaningful game than pitting teams against division rivals in games that could impact division standings or playoff seeding? But why will it be the Raiders this time around? Because they've got a new head coach and are next up in a rotation that has seen the Chiefs face Los Angeles (2023) and Denver (2024) in the final week of the regular season.