Kansas City Chiefs’ 2026 NFL Schedule: Primetime matchups, biggest games, strength of schedule, broadcast info, and more
The Kansas City Chiefs’ official 2026 NFL Schedule has been released. Find primetime matchups, biggest games, strength of schedule, broadcast info, and more here.
The 2026 NFL schedule release has finally arrived, marking the Kansas City Chiefs’ pathway to Super Bowl LXI.
The Chiefs are looking to bounce back after a disappointing 6-11 season in 2025, which left the team out of the playoffs for the first time since 2014. With a fresh crop of rookie draft picks, Kansas City is looking to get back atop the AFC West.
Unfortunately, their third-place schedule isn’t any less forgiving than the first-place ones they’ve drawn in years past. It features several playoff teams, short rest, and some harsh playing environments.
Kansas City Chiefs’ 2026 Schedule
- Week 1: vs. Denver Broncos (Monday Night Football) at Arrowhead Stadium – Sept. 14, at 7:15 p.m. CT on ESPN/ABC
- Week 2: vs. Indianapolis Colts (Sunday Night Football) at Arrowhead Stadium – Sept. 20 at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC
- Week 3: @ Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium – Sunday, Sept. 27 Noon CT on CBS
- Week 4: @ Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium – Sunday, Oct. 4 at 3:25 p.m. CT on CBS
- Week 5: BYE
- Week 6: vs. Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium – Sunday, Oct. 18 at 3:25 p.m. CT on CBS
- Week 7: @ Seattle Seahawks (Sunday Night Football) at Lumen Field – Oct. 25 at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC
- Week 8: @ Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High – Sunday, Nov. 1 at 3:25 p.m. CT on CBS
- Week 9: vs. New York Jets at Arrowhead Stadium – Sunday, Nov. 8 at Noon CT on CBS
- Week 10: @ Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Sunday, Nov. 15 at Noon CT on CBS
- Week 11: vs. Arizona Cardinals at Arrowhead Stadium – Sunday, Nov. 22 at Noon CT on CBS
- Week 12: @ Buffalo Bills (Thanksgiving) at Highmark Stadium – Thursday, Nov. 26 at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC
- Week 13: @ Los Angeles Rams (Thursday Night Football) at SoFi Stadium – Thursday, Dec. 3 at 7:15 p.m. CT on Amazon Prime Video
- Week 14: @ Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium – Sunday, Dec. 13 at 4:25 p.m. CT on FOX
- Week 15: vs. New England Patriots (Monday Night Football) at Arrowhead Stadium – Monday, Dec. 21 at 7:15 p.m. CT on ESPN/ABC
- Week 16: vs. San Francisco 49ers at Arrowhead Stadium – Sunday, Dec. 27 at 3:25 p.m. CT on CBS
- Week 17: @ Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium – TBD date, time and broadcast.
- Week 18: vs. Las Vegas Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium – TBD (all Week 18 games are TBD dates and times).
Chiefs’ Preseason Schedule
- Week 1: vs. Los Angeles Rams – Saturday, August 15, 3 p.m. CT
- Week 2: @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Saturday, August 22, 6:30 p.m. CT
- Week 3: vs. Seattle Seahawks – Friday, August 28, 7 p.m. CT
Biggest Games on the Chiefs’ 2026 Schedule
Chiefs @ Seahawks: The Chiefs face both Super Bowl teams this season, but this one feels particularly big given that Kansas City signed Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker in free agency. A win here wouldn’t just legitimize the Chiefs after a down year, but it’d make the Walker addition feel like the right move.
Chiefs @ Bills: This game always has the potential to be an NFL classic. This year, the intrigue centers on Buffalo has a new head coach. Was Sean McDermott really the reason that the Bills struggled against Kansas City at times? We might not find out the answer to that question until the postseason, but this regular-season matchup will be a good start.
Chiefs vs. Raiders: Whether this game is big or not depends solely on whether No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, will play in either of the two matchups against the Chiefs as a rookie. Steve Spagnuolo has been known for giving rookie quarterbacks quite the welcome to the NFL.
Primetime Games and Streaming Service Broadcasts
Which games will be primetime viewing?
You know that Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are the most sought-after teams by broadcast networks for primetime and exclusive streaming games. Dating back to the 2020 NFL season, the Chiefs have been on primetime 31 times, the most in the NFL during that span. Which games fall under the bright lights during the 2026 NFL season?
- Week 1: vs. Broncos (MNF)
- Week 2: vs. Colts (SNF)
- Week 7: @ Seahawks (SNF)
- Week 12: @ Bills (Thanksgiving)
- Week 13: @ Rams (TNF)
- Week 15: vs. Patriots (MNF)
Which games will you need streaming services to watch?
Love it or hate it, the future of the NFL is on streaming services and platforms. Each year, streaming platforms battle for exclusive rights to various games. Last season, the Chiefs had two games on streaming platforms. They had YouTube for the Brazil game vs. the Chargers and Amazon Prime for the Broncos game on Christmas Day. Which games does that apply to this season?
- Week 13: Amazon Prime Video
What stadiums will the Chiefs play at in 2026?
Outside of plenty of home games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, here’s where the Chiefs will play in 2026.
- SoFi Stadium – Inglewood, California
- Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Gardens, Florida
- Lumen Field – Seattle, Washington
- Highmark Stadium – Orchard Park, New York
- Empower Field at Mile High – Denver, Colorado
- Paycor Stadium – Cincinnati, Ohio
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta, Georgia
- Allegiant Stadium – Las Vegas, Nevada
Strength of Schedule (based on Vegas win totals, not the 2025 record)
Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis ranks teams’ strength of schedule based on Juice (Vegas’ projected win totals for the upcoming season). This year, Sharp has the Chiefs’ SOS at 10th, which means they’ve actually got one of the easier schedules in the NFL based on projected win totals. Vegas projects them to win 10.5 games this year, despite the uncertainty surrounding Patrick Mahomes’ knee injury.
4 must-watch player matchups
- Mansoor Delane vs. Fernando Mendoza: We don’t yet know if Mendoza will start a game during the 2026 NFL season. If he starts at least one game vs. the Chiefs, this is the matchup I’ll be paying attention to. The No. 1 overall pick vs. the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
- Patrick Mahomes vs. Trent McDuffie & Jaylen Watson: The Chiefs’ No. 1 and No. 2 cornerbacks of the past few seasons both ended up in Los Angeles with the Rams this offseason. We got plenty of this matchup in practice in Kansas City, but how will it take shape as opponents on the gridiron?
- Josh Simmons vs. David Bailey: The No. 2 overall pick and top pass rusher in the 2026 NFL Draft class going against the Chiefs’ first-round draft pick from 2025? Yeah, that’s going to be a fun one to watch when the Jets come to Kansas City.
- Kenneth Walker vs. Fred Warner: Seahawks fans got plenty of this matchup in the past. It feels a little bit different this time around. Walker is on a new team as the reigning Super Bowl MVP. Warner, who has long been considered the top linebacker in the league, is coming off a season-ending ankle injury.