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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be the centerpiece of the Chiefs second dynasty.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ 2026 regular season schedule is set.

Things look good for the first quarter of the season. The Chiefs will play each of their first two games at home, and in primetime. They host the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football in Week 1, and the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football Week 2.

Kansas City will follow that up with back-to-back road games against the Miami Dolphins (Week 3) and Las Vegas Raiders (Week 4). Both of those teams are in rebuilding mode and have first-year head coaches. Unfortunately, the Chiefs have an early Week 5 bye week, setting the stage for a potentially difficult second half of the season.

Kansas City Chiefs Have Tough Six-Game Stretch That Runs Through Holiday Season

The Chiefs’ 2026 season could very well boil down to a six-game stretch that runs from Weeks 12-17. Here’s a look:

• Week 12: at Buffalo Bills
• Week 13: at Los Angeles Rams
• Week 14: at Cincinnati Bengals
• Week 15: vs. New England Patriots
• Week 16: vs. San Francisco 49ers
• Week 17: at Los Angeles Chargers

Five of those six games are against 2025 playoff teams. The only one that wasn’t was the Bengals, but they are immensely talented and project to be improved in 2026. The Chiefs’ matchup against the Bills will be on a short week as the meet on Thanksgiving Night. They will also have to travel to Los Angeles and play at SoFi Stadium twice in five weeks.

NFL media personality Colin Cowherd believes what really makes that a rough stretch for Kansas City is the quality of quarterbacks it will face.

“Chiefs face Josh Allen, Matt Stafford, and Joe Burrow — all on the road — in succession. Followed by Drake Maye, Brock Purdy, and Justin Herbert. Interesting six-gamer.”

Chiefs Can’t Afford to Have Any Letdowns if They’re Going to Return to Postseason

Kansas City has to rack up wins early on before it hits that six-game stretch in late November. As mentioned above, taking care of business against the Dolphins and Raiders is a must. Other games that should be very winnable include home matchups against the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals, as well as the second game against Las Vegas.

Although the Broncos and Colts are good teams, it would be very disappointing if the Chiefs dropped both of those games at home in primetime. Much of their success will hinge on the health status of quarterback Patrick Mahomes. NFL analyst Dan Graziano recently stated that although it’s possible the Chiefs return to elite form in 2026, we may need to be patient.

“This isn’t to say the Chiefs can’t overcome all of this. We’ve seen them do it before. But the past couple of seasons have shown significant cracks in the armor. Mahomes might be back by Week 1, but he also might not. And even if he is, can we expect him to be his same old brilliant self right from the jump? Never put anything past Mahomes and Reid, but the Chiefs have to build back up. More than we’re inclined to think with them.”