The 2025 season was a difficult one for the Kansas City Chiefs, as the team finished with a 6–11 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

Compounding the problem was the late-season injury to Patrick Mahomes, whose torn ACL creates uncertainty around the opening stages of the upcoming season. Kansas City’s acquisition of Justin Fields appears to provide a contingency plan should Mahomes need additional recovery time.

The Chiefs also made aggressive defensive additions, including trading into the top 10 to draft cornerback Mansoor Delane, while also selecting Peter Woods to strengthen the front line.

As Kansas City looks to rebound in 2026, it will be interesting to see if the roster changes will be enough to return the franchise to contention. Here is a breakdown of the team’s schedule and projections generated by the Sportskeeda Playoff Predictor.

Kansas City Chiefs’ 2026 Schedule

Week 1 (Sept. 14): at Denver Broncos, 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN (MNF)

Week 2 (Sept. 20): vs. Indianapolis Colts, 8:15 p.m. ET | NBC (SNF)

Week 3 (Sept. 27): at Miami Dolphins, 1:00 p.m. ET | CBS

Week 4 (Oct. 4): at Las Vegas Raiders, 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS

Week 5: BYE

Week 6 (Oct. 18): vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS

Week 7 (Oct. 25): at Seattle Seahawks, 8:15 p.m. ET | NBC (SNF)

Week 8 (Nov. 1): at Denver Broncos, 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS

Week 9 (Nov. 8): vs. New York Jets, 1:00 p.m. ET | CBS

Week 10 (Nov. 15): at Atlanta Falcons, 1:00 p.m. ET | CBS

Week 11 (Nov. 22): vs. Arizona Cardinals, 1:00 p.m. ET | CBS

Week 12 (Nov. 26): at Buffalo Bills, 8:20 p.m. ET | NBC (Thanksgiving Day)

Week 13 (Dec. 3): at Los Angeles Rams, 8:15 p.m. ET | Prime Video (TNF)

Week 14 (Dec. 13): at Cincinnati Bengals, 4:25 p.m. ET | FOX

Week 15 (Dec. 21): vs. New England Patriots, 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN (MNF)

Week 16 (Dec. 27): vs. San Francisco 49ers, 4:25 p.m. ET | CBS

Week 17 (TBD): at Los Angeles Chargers, TBD

Week 18 (TBD): vs. Las Vegas Raiders, TBD

Kansas City Chiefs: Game-by-game prediction

Week 1: Chiefs at Broncos

Prediction: 25-17 (Broncos W)

Week 2: Chiefs vs. Colts

Prediction: 39-20 (Colts W)

Week 3: Chiefs at Dolphins

Prediction: 26-22 (Dolphins W)

Week 4: Chiefs at Raiders

Prediction: 33-26 (Raiders W)

Week 5: BYE

Week 6: Chiefs vs. Chargers

Prediction: 32-27 (Chargers W)

Week 7: Chiefs at Seahawks

Prediction: 25-16 (Seahawks W)

Week 8: Chiefs at Broncos

Prediction: 29-16 (Broncos W)

Week 9: Chiefs vs. Jets

Prediction: 26-24 (Chiefs W)

Week 10: Chiefs at Falcons

Prediction: 28-22 (Chiefs W)

Week 11: Chiefs vs. Cardinals

Prediction: 21-16 (Chiefs W)

Week 12: Chiefs at Bills

Prediction: 31-17 (Chiefs W)

Week 13: Chiefs at Rams

Prediction: 39-25 (Rams W)

Week 14: Chiefs at Bengals

Prediction: 26-15 (Chiefs W)

Week 15: Chiefs vs. Patriots

Prediction: 22-15 (Patriots W)

Week 16: Chiefs vs. 49ers

Prediction: 17-16 (Chiefs W)

Week 17: Chiefs at Chargers

Prediction: 22-18 (Chargers W)

Week 18: Chiefs vs. Raiders

Prediction: 33-20 (Chiefs W)

Kansas City Chiefs’ projected 2026 regular-season record

Sportskeeda’s Playoff Predictor projects a challenging picture for the Kansas City Chiefs heading into the 2026 season. The model predicts a 7–10 finish, suggesting that the organization’s rebuilding effort may take longer than expected.

Among the more surprising projections is Kansas City waiting until Week 9 for its first win, which is predicted to come against the New York Jets. The model also forecasts a poor run within the division for Andy Reid’s team, with only one AFC West win and a last-place finish.

Under that scenario, the Chiefs would fail to reach the postseason for a second consecutive year.