The Kansas City Chiefs are going to have a very difficult schedule for the 2026 NFL season. Kansas City finished with a 6-11 record last season. There is a good chance that they can miss the playoffs once again in 2026.
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Dec 14, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) throws a pass during the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
The Chiefs will begin the season at home against the Denver Broncos on Monday night football. Kansas City is wondering if they are even going to have quarterback Patrick Mahomes or not to start the year after he tore his ACL in December against the Los Angeles Chargers. What is the best game on Kansas City’s schedule for the 2026 NFL season?
NFL Analyst Thinks That the Kansas City Chiefs Marquee Matchup Will Be In Week 12 Against the Buffalo Bills
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Dec 14, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Odafe Oweh (98) sacks Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Jesse Newell of the Athletic thinks that the marquee matchup for the Chiefs this season will be in Week 12 against the Buffalo Bills on home in Thanksgiving. It is not a surprise that people are looking forward to another potential matchup between Mahomes and Josh Allen in the regular season. Newell said,
“Outside of Rams-Seahawks, will the NFL feature a better regular-season matchup than this one? Mahomes going against Bills quarterback Josh Allen always makes for must-watch TV, and this one will have added spectacle as a Thanksgiving night game played in the Bills’ brand-new Highmark Stadium. Bills fans would love to beat the Chiefs — the team that’s caused them so much postseason heartache — and that’s the driving force that makes this the toughest road environment K.C. faces each season. The game surely will have some late-season playoff implications as well, giving it top billing on a Chiefs schedule that features quite a few other doozies.”
Kansas City will have a brutal schedule. They have to face the Broncos and the Chargers twice. The Chiefs will also face the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Los Angeles Rams as well during the 2026 NFL season. If they were to miss the playoffs with this brutal schedule, there will be Kansas City fans calling for head coach Andy Reid to retire from coaching.
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