Shortly after the Bengals were eliminated from last year’s playoffs, Joe Burrow made his displeasure known in no uncertain terms.

“We don’t want to be in the spot we are in now, so something’s got to change,” Burrow said Dec. 31. “Whether it’s players we have continuing to improve and get better and play championship-caliber football or bringing in guys that will or whatever it may be. Obviously, something has to [change].”

Speaking Wednesday amid voluntary workouts, Burrow struck a much different tone.

“We have everything we need in that locker room,” he said. “We just gotta go and make it happen.”

The three-time Pro Bowler noted the additions of “the best free-agent safety,” “the best [defensive] tackle in the league, in my opinion,” and “a lot of depth, now, on the defensive line” as reasons for that feeling, alluding to Bryan Cook, Dexter Lawrence and a bevy of other defensive line additions, respectively.

“I think this is the most talented roster that we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Burrow said.

It was an unusually active — and bold — offseason for Cincinnati, and the Lawrence acquisition was the headliner. The Bengals sent the No. 10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to the Giants for Lawrence, a uniquely disruptive defensive tackle who.

It was a steep price for a player who turns 29 in November and is coming off a down season, but Burrow appreciated the Bengals’ approach.

“I was fired up, obviously,” Burrow said. “Tough to find a guy at pick number 10 that’s gonna have more of an impact than Dexter will, so it’s exciting that we made that happen.

The Giants selected offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa at No. 10.

Burrow also said it’s “fair to say” all of the additions add a sense of urgency, especially given the team’s three-year playoff drought. In addition to Cook and Lawrence, the Bengals signed EDGE Boye Mafe and defensive lineman Jonathan Allen and drafted EDGE Cashius Howell at No. 41 overall.

It’s all a massive effort to improve a defense that simply hasn’t held its own. Over the past three years, the Bengals have lost seven games in which they’ve scored 30 or more points. That’s the most in the NFL by far; no other team has more than four such losses.

Burrow played in just eight games last year due to turf toe. The Bengals went 5-3 in the games in which he played and 1-8 in the games he did not play.

But he once again has high hopes for a healthier and more productive 2026, heading a potent offense that includes Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Chase Brown, and all five offensive line starters returning. When asked if he had any statistical achievements in mind, he mentioned the Bengals’ all-time passing touchdowns record. When informed he was 48 away — a number that hasn’t been touched since Aaron Rodgers in 2020 — from passing Andy Dalton’s mark, Burrow had a one-word answer.

“Doable.”

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.