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• Updated May 11, 2026 at 12:11pm

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Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen on October 16, 2022

We are just three days away from finding out the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2026 schedule.

We already know who their opponents will be, but on Thursday all the dates and times will be revealed. Despite coming off a disappointing 6-11 campaign in 2025, the Chiefs should still be prominently featured to the national audience.

Kansas City Chiefs in Running for Several Primetime Games in 2026

The Chiefs have been among the leaders in primetime matchups over the past decade. The folks over at Bleacher Report believe that trend will continue in 2026.

“Even if the Chiefs aren’t championship-caliber this season, they’ll still be interesting. Mahomes’ recovery is a massive storyline. He’s one of the league’s brightest stars, and he’s likely to be available early in the regular season. Unfortunately for fans who have grown weary of Kansas City, another substantial dose of the Chiefs is likely to come.”

Eric Edholm of NFL.com predicted that Kansas City will play in two of the 10 most intriguing games of 2026, both of which could get primetime slots. The first is what has become an annual matchup against the Buffalo Bills since 2020.

“Mahomes’ torn ACL and the Chiefs missing the playoffs have raised the anxiety level in Kansas City, especially as Travis Kelce enters what could be his final NFL season. Of course, they’re anxious in Buffalo, too, with the Bills losing the division last season and failing to take advantage of a wide-open AFC playoff field. These teams have met 10 times in the 2020s, and it’s an even 5-5 split. Buffalo has dominated the regular-season series 5-1, but the Chiefs are 4-0 in playoff matchups.”

Edholm also believes the Chiefs’ road matchup against the Seattle Seahawks will draw plenty of eyes.

“This also will be known as the Kenneth Walker III game, with the Seahawks’ Super Bowl MVP joining the Chiefs this offseason in a semi-surprising free-agency plunge. Walker was a fan favorite, and he might earn a few pre-game cheers, but also expect the 12s to give him an earful the rest of the day.”

Chiefs appear poised to play more holiday games in 2026

Speaking of playing the Seahawks, John Breech of CBS Sports thinks Kansas City’s matchup against them could occur on the NFL’s first-ever Thanksgiving Eve game.

“The NFL is going to want to make a statement with the introduction of the Thanksgiving Eve window, so I’d expect a huge game here, and when the NFL has a big slot to fill, they love to use Patrick Mahomes. Although the Chiefs almost certainly won’t be facing the Seahawks in Week 1, putting Mahomes up against the defending Super Bowl champs on the night before Thanksgiving would be a great way to kick off the holiday week.”

Breech also believes the Chiefs will play on Christmas given that they have each of the last three years, and that they have expressed interest in playing on that holiday annually. He selected the Los Angeles Chargers as their opponent.

“The Chiefs have played three straight games on Christmas and two of those games have come against a division rival, so it wouldn’t be a big shocker to see the NFL stick to that trend. This would also be a pretty high-profile game with Justin Herbert in a duel with Patrick Mahomes. With Travis Kelce possibly retiring after the season, this could be one of his final games and we’d even get the chance of Taylor Swift showing up for a holiday game in Los Angeles. Also, with Jim Harbaugh coaching in this game, you’d have both the Harbaugh brothers coaching on Christmas.”

The Chiefs are also in the running to play the Atlanta Falcons (already announced as the home team) in Madrid, Spain as part as the NFL’s international slate of games.