The Kansas City Chiefs’ 2026 opponents are set. Here’s the full 17-game slate of teams (dates and times come later):
Home: Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers | Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers
Away: Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers | Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks
In-division opponents
The Chiefs play their three AFC West foes twice — once at home and once away.
Denver (14-3): In 2025, the Broncos beat the Chiefs twice, won the AFC West and snapped KC’s nine-year division-title streak. Denver reached the AFC Championship Game, but Bo Nix’s ankle injury from the Divisional Round loomed large in a home loss to New England.
Las Vegas (3-14): Nobody knew it at the time, but the Chiefs’ 31-0 Week 7 win over the Raiders might’ve been the high point of the season. Kansas City then dropped its finale with Chris Oladokun starting at quarterback. Las Vegas still hasn’t made the playoffs since 2021, and the Raiders will look different in 2026 under new head coach Klint Kubiak.
Los Angeles Chargers (11-6): Like the Broncos, the Chargers beat the Chiefs twice — including in the Week 1 neutral-site opener in São Paulo, Brazil. L.A. earned a Wild Card berth, but its postseason ended with a 16–3 loss to New England.
In-conference opponents
Buffalo (12-5): The Bills extended their regular-season win streak against the Chiefs to five with a November victory over Kansas City. Their playoff run ended in heartbreak (a 33-30 overtime loss to Denver), and the offseason brought major change, with Sean McDermott out and Joe Brady elevated.
Cincinnati (6-11): Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury proved too much for the Bengals to overcome, and they missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season. Cincinnati hasn’t reached the postseason since losing to the Chiefs in the 2022 AFC Championship Game.
Indianapolis (8-9): Similar to Cincinnati, a quarterback injury derailed what looked like it could have been a breakout season. Indianapolis entered its bye week with an 8-2 record. But due in part to a season-ending injury to Daniel Jones in Week 14, Indianapolis closed the season with seven straight losses, a slide that began with a 23-20 overtime defeat to the Chiefs at Arrowhead.
Miami (7-10): Miami had a disappointing season, leading to the dismissal of Mike McDaniel, who now is in the Chiefs’ division as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator. Miami brought in Jeff Hafley as its new head coach
New York Jets (3-14): The hiring of Aaron Glenn from Detroit went sideways in Year 1, as New York became the first team since interceptions became an official stat in 1933 to finish a season without one. During the offseason, the Jets brought in Frank Reich as their new offensive coordinator.
New England (14-3): It didn’t take long for Mike Vrabel to turn things around in New England. Quarterback Drake Maye had an outstanding regular season and the Patriots won the AFC before losing Super Bowl LX to Seattle. The 2026 season will bring the first Chiefs-Patriots matchup since 2023, a 27-17 KC win in Foxborough.
NFC Opponents
Arizona (3-14): Arizona will look much different in 2026, as the team is expected to move on from QB Kyler Murray this offseason. Former Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur jumped in-division to the Cardinals as their new head coach after the firing of Jonathan Gannon.
Atlanta (8-9): Despite closing with four straight wins, the Falcons finished under .500 and missed the postseason for the eighth consecutive season. That underwhelming performance led to the firing of head coach Raheem Morris and Atlanta hiring Kevin Stefanski to take over.
Los Angeles Rams (12-5): The 12-win Rams finished second to the Seahawks in a strong NFC West. They lost to those same Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game, but Stafford won the first MVP award of his 17-year career at age 37.
San Francisco (12-5): Like the Rams, the 49ers clinched a Wild Card berth and defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in that round. San Francisco had no chance in the Divisional Round, losing 41-6 to Seattle.
Seattle (14-3): The Seahawks won Super Bowl LX by defeating the Patriots 29-13. Some have suggested the Chiefs could visit Seattle in the season opener, though Patrick Mahomes’ injury timeline might complicate that idea.
The NFL typically announces times and dates for the schedule in mid-May.