It feels good to be back on top. Kansas City Chiefs fans got used to being the class of the AFC with quarterback Patrick Mahomes at the helm. Last season feels like an anomaly as the team starts this year 4-0 and sits atop the conference’s standings as the only undefeated team.
That will hold through the Week 5 bye, but the Chiefs can’t get comfortable with the hot start. A much tougher schedule awaits on the other side of the bye, starting with two AFC West matchups over three weeks, sandwiching
a road trip to take on the defending champions.
Week 6: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Week 7: at Seattle Seahawks
Week 8: at Denver Broncos
The Chiefs have an early lead in the AFC West, but imagine the cushion Kansas City could build by beating the Chargers and Broncos over the next month. Those will be the critical matchups here, while a road primetime game against Seattle is less crucial. It would be hard to be upset with a loss there if it is accompanied by victories against the division rivals in Weeks 6 and 8.
Week 9: vs New York Jets
Week 10: at Atlanta Falcons
Week 11: vs. Arizona Cardinals
This feels like the first three-game stretch of the second half of the season, even if the schedule no longer allows for a clean midway point. Four of the team’s division games would be behind them, and this stretch could test the Chiefs’ ability to stay locked in for the noon slate against desperate teams; the team’s least impressive performance this year was arguably the noon kickoff against the Miami Dolphins in Week 3.
Week 12: at Buffalo Bills
Week 13: at Los Angeles Rams
Week 14: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
A Thanksgiving night game against the Bills is just the start of a stretch of playoff-preview-type matchups. This feels like the beginning of the “playoff push.” You can see certain aspects of the team, especially defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s unit, start to take shape for the remainder of the team’s run at Super Bowl LXI, and that could result in growing pains against contenders that turn into lessons learned later on in the postseason.
Week 15: vs. New England Patriots
Week 16: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Week 17: at Los Angeles
Week 18: vs. Las Vegas Raiders
The final four-game stretch of Kansas City’s regular-season schedule features three home games and a road trip to the divisional foe currently on a path to a last-place finish this season. That could change, but overall, if the Chiefs stay in the hunt for a No. 1 seed by the time the holiday season arrives, Arrowhead Stadium could play a role in the team securing a postseason bye week and continuing to play in front of the Sea of Red.
