Patrick Mahomes is in line to return for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2026 and faces many formidable matchups against some of the best defenses in the league.
Mahomes had a down season in 2025. The two-time AP MVP posted career lows in completion rate (62.7 percent) and passing touchdowns (22), and missed the final four games of the season after sustaining a torn ACL and LCL.
Despite the difficulties that Mahomes faced, he is expected to bounce back in 2026 as a potential Comeback Player of the Year award honoree. That being the case, let’s look at the toughest matchups that Mahomes will face next season and how those challenges may shape his season, for better or worse.
Weeks 1 and 8: Chiefs vs. Broncos
The Chiefs will play the Denver Broncos in two division rivalry matchups next
season. The Broncos have most of their best players on defense returning for next season,
Mahomes will be tasked with evading Nik Bonitto, Zach Allen and Jonathan Cooper on the defensive line when in the pocket and scrambling out of it, as well as former AP Defensive Player of the Year cornerback Pat Surtain in the Broncos secondary.
The Broncos led the league in sacks (68) and allowed the seventh-fewest passing yards per game (187.2) last season.
Week 7: Chiefs vs. Seahawks
The Seahawks won the Super Bowl last season with a defense that took the league by storm. Seattle’s defensive line was astonishingly good, while the secondary took away opportunities from opposing teams.
Mahomes will be tested greatly when he goes up against the Seahawks on the road in a Sunday night primetime game in Week 7.
Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy will apply pressure in the interior, DeMarcus Lawrence and Derick Hall will be a handful flanking on the outside, while Ernest Jones will be lurking in the interior. Second-team All-Pro cornerback Devon Witherspoon, Josh Jobe and Nick Emmanwori will be players to watch out for in the secondary, making Seattle perhaps the toughest matchup Mahomes will face next season.
Week 13: Chiefs vs. Rams
The Rams now have reigning AP Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett and Mahomes’ former teammate Trent McDuffie. As is, Los Angeles has a formidable defense on paper, and the prospect of Aaron Donald coming out of retirement makes them an even more daunting defense to envision prior to the start of next season.
This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: These are the 3 toughest defenses Patrick Mahomes will face in 2026
