NFL Schedule 2026: Way-too-early look at the Kansas City Chiefs' home and away opponents for next season

The 2025 NFL schedule has just been revealed, but it's never too early to look ahead at what's to come for the Kansas City Chiefs. 

While the 2026 NFL schedule will not arrive until mid-May next year, we already know 14 of the Chiefs' 17 opponents for the 2026 NFL season. That, of course, assumes the NFL doesn't move to a 19-week season with 18 games in 2026. Everything we know now is based on rotating cycles of AFC and NFC divisional opponents. The winners of various divisions will determine the three remaining opponents on the schedule and where the Chiefs place in the AFC West division. They've won the AFC West for the last nine consecutive seasons, giving them a "first-place" schedule each year. 

Take a look at those opponents and some thoughts down below. . .

2026 Away Opponents:

• Denver Broncos
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Los Angeles Chargers
• Buffalo Bills
• Los Angeles Rams
• Miami Dolphins
• Seattle Seahawks
• AFC North (Winner, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th place depending on K.C.'s finish)
• NFC South (Winner, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th place depending on K.C.'s finish)

2026 Home Opponents:

• Denver Broncos
• Los Angeles Chargers
• Las Vegas Raiders
• New England Patriots
• New York Jets
• Arizona Cardinals
• San Francisco 49ers
• AFC South (Winner, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th place depending on K.C.'s finish)

Observations:

The Chiefs will automatically play the winner of the AFC East next season, as they play that entire division. That division lost 38 games in the 2024 regular season. They also play the whole NFC West, with a matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, whom they played in Super Bowl LIV and LVIII. 

They'll only face a few teams with potential quarterback questions, like the Los Angeles Rams, New York Jets, and Miami Dolphins, and maybe teams like the Las Vegas Raiders and Seattle Seahawks. 

To give you an idea of who the remaining opponents might be in 2026, we can look back at last year's division winner. In 2024, the Houston Texans won the AFC South, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the NFC South, and the Baltimore Ravens won the AFC North. Of course, there's always a chance that the Chiefs don't play division winners in 2026, but that hasn't happened for nine consecutive seasons.