Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) greets teammate Elijah Young (34) before their preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on Aug. 9, 2025. Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Most Crucial Stretch of Schedule for the Chiefs

Originally posted on Kansas City Chiefs on SI
By Dominic Minchella | Last updated Aug 16, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs, dating back to the last playoff game, have lost more games than they would have enjoyed. While the Super Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles stings the most, the Chiefs dropped their first preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals.

While the preseason games mean absolutely nothing to NFL franchises in terms of blemishing their record, they practice the same way they would like to play. And for the Chiefs, the team has become accustomed to winning more than they are losing.

Going into the regular season, which is less than a month away, the Chiefs need to make a statement early in the season to silence their doubters. This offseason has been filled with negative talk surrounding the Chiefs, as recency bias has hit them harder than usual.

For the Chiefs to silence their doubters and build confidence in themselves and their fanbase, the most crucial stretch of the season to prove that is the first five weeks. In the first five weeks of the season, the Chiefs take on three teams that made the playoffs last season.

Let's break down why the Chiefs have to aim to come away with more wins than losses in the first five weeks of the campaign.

Chargers

The Chiefs start off their season against the Los Angeles Chargers in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The game is important, not only because it is the first game of the new season, but it will also allow the Chiefs to get off on the right or wrong foot. Plus it wouldn't hurt to make a division rival start the season without a win.

Eagles

A game that probably matters the most for the Chiefs comes in Week 2 of the campaign. Finding a way to get a win over the Eagles would catapult the franchise's spirits for the remainder of the season. If they were to lose again, this time in front of the Chiefs Kingdom at Arrowhead, the morale could plummet and be hard to rebound from.

Giants

Proving that you can beat the New York Giants, given the state of the franchise currently, isn't impressive, but a win is a win. If the Chiefs were to drop a game to the Giants, it could have the same effect as a loss to the Eagles would have.

Ravens

The Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens are two of the top contenders in the AFC, and finding a way to be competitive or even better, getting a win, the Chiefs would ride that wave of momentum into their next game and the rest of the campaign.

Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars could pose some issues for the Chiefs if they don't take them seriously. The Chiefs have gotten the upper hand over the Jaguars in the past, but coming away with at most three wins through the first five weeks of the campaign would prove whether the Chiefs are the real deal again or if they're truly falling apart.

This article first appeared on Kansas City Chiefs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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