This past Thursday, the NFL revealed each team’s regular season schedule and the entire NFL schedule with times and primetime games.
The Chiefs schedule ranks as tied for the 18th-toughest schedule in the league at .500, and have five primetime games this season.
Schedule Breakdown
The Chiefs start out the season by facing three division winners in the first four weeks.
The schedule marks the sixth straight season for the Chiefs to have three home games in December and January (combined).
Looking at the division, the Chiefs have gone 27-3 against divisional opponents since 2015. However, the draft paved the way for division rivals to attempt to match the Chiefs offense (Broncos and Raiders).
Three of the first four divisional games for the Chiefs are on the road, starting with a trip to Los Angeles to face the Chargers in Week 2.
Predictions:
Week 1- Chiefs vs. Texans
To start off the 101st NFL season, the Chiefs will host the Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football on September 10th.
The Chiefs will unveil their Super Bowl LIV championship banner in front of the team that possessed the greatest opportunity to eliminate all of the great comebacks and memories from the postseason and victory celebration.
I went to the AFC Divisional game against the Texans, who held a 24-0 lead in the second quarter, before the Chiefs exploded and end the game on a 51-7 run, defeating the Texans 51-31.
In that AFC Divisional Game, Patrick Mahomes became the first player in NFL history to throw five touchdown passes in a playoff game before turning 25 years old. The Chiefs also became the first team in NFL history to score a TD on seven straight offensive possessions.
The Chiefs did lose to the Texans in the regular season last season, but that is not happening this year.
The Texans traded away All-Pro WR DeAndre Hopkins and the Chiefs added RB and new weapon, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, making the offense more unstoppable than a year ago. On top of that, the Chiefs have the entire offensive unit returning that will be ready to hit the ground running.
The Chiefs get the job done and defeat the Texans on Opening Night of the NFL. (Record: 1-0)
Week 2: Chiefs at Chargers
The Chiefs hit the road for the first time of the 2020 season to take on the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chiefs go into this game with 10 days of rest after a Thursday night win over the Texans. The Chargers will also have new QB Tyrod Taylor or rookie Justin Herbert under center.
The Chiefs defense shined last year against the Chargers and that trend will continue in this matchup as the Chiefs go into LA and defeat the Chargers. (Record: 2-0)
Week 3- Chiefs at Ravens
Arguably the most exciting matchup in the first half of the season for the Chiefs. This matchup features the past two league MVPs as Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes face off for the third time. This Monday Night game will be Mahomes’ first trip to Baltimore in his career.
Both teams possess explosive offenses, but the Ravens offense was shut down in the playoffs, giving the Chiefs an outlet to find a way to stop Jackson and co. Steve Spagnuolo and the Chiefs defense will take advantage of this and find a way to get a few stops on the Ravens offense.
The Baltimore defense added DE Calais Campbell and drafted LB Patrick Queen for their defense that will matchup against the Chief offense that added a new weapon, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, in the first round of the draft. The Ravens will continue to struggle in stopping Mahomes, giving the Chiefs a slight edge.
In this matchup between two explosive offenses, the Chiefs will come out with the win, defeating the Ravens to improve to 3-0 on the season.
Week 4- Chiefs vs. Patriots
The Chiefs return home after a two-week road trip to take on the Tom Brady-less, New England Patriots.
The Patriots will look to see if former fourth-round draft pick, Jarrett Stidham, is the future franchise QB, but the offense will take a step back. The defense also lost Kyle Van Noy in free agency .
The Patriots still have a solid defense, but the Chiefs offense got better and will still put points up on the board. The defense will take care of business and get after Stidham as well.
The Chiefs will defeat the Patriots at home to improve to 4-0 on the season.
Week 5- Chiefs vs. Raiders
Last season, the Raiders jumped out the gate and got an early lead on the Chiefs until the second quarter where the Chiefs offense exploded for 28 points in the first meeting.
This season the Chiefs will continue to take care of business and get after Carr and light up a defense that was extremely weak last season.
Chiefs win at home over the Raiders and improve to 5-0 on the season.
Week 6- Chiefs at Bills
The Chiefs hit the road and travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills on Thursday Night Football. Buffalo is one of the toughest games on the schedule for the Chiefs this season and the short week will put them at a disadvantage.
The Chiefs will have played some good defenses early in the season, but Buffalo has one of the league’s best defenses and the offense might stumble on a short week on preparation.
It will be a close game, but the Chiefs fall to the Bills in Buffalo, dropping to 5-1 on the season.
Week 7- Chiefs at Broncos
The Chiefs will have another road game as they travel to Denver to take on the Broncos. This season will mark the third straight year that the Chiefs travel to Denver in the first half of the season.
The Chiefs will have 10 days of rest following a Thursday night loss to Buffalo and go into Denver and play a competitive matchup. With how Denver approached the draft, it looks to be a shootout.
The Chiefs will go into Denver and extend their winning streak over the Broncos, and bounce back to improve to 6-1 on the season.
Week 8- Chiefs vs. Jets
The Chiefs return home to take on the New York Jets. The Jets addressed their offensive line to help protect third-year QB Sam Darnold, but the offense lost top WR Robby Anderson in free agency.
The Chiefs will attack the Jets defense that is in the bottom half of the league, getting out to an early lead. The Chiefs will use their early lead to coast throughout the game and defeat the Jets, improving to 7-1 on the season.
Week 9- Chiefs vs. Panthers
The Panthers are going to look completely different this season with new QB Teddy Bridgewater and WR Robby Anderson to pair with the league’s best running back, Christian McCaffrey. They also have a new coach in Matt Rhule.
The Panthers do not look to be competitive this year and the Chiefs will not drop this game at home to the Panthers. McCaffrey will be tough to stop, but the offense will put up points to gain the advantage.
Chiefs beat the panthers are go into the bye week with an 8-1 record.
Week 10- BYE
This is the best week to have a bye as the Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta is being played this weekend, due to the coronavirus pushing it back.
Week 11- Chiefs at Raiders
The Chiefs will come off the bye week by making their first trip to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders.
The Chiefs come off a full week of rest and Andy Reid does not lose after the bye week. In his career, Reid is 17-3 in games the week after the team’s bye.
The Raiders are going to struggle at home and who knows if Carr will be under center or not. Chiefs sweep the Raiders this season and improve their record to 9-1 on the season.
Week 12- Chiefs at Buccaneers
This is one of the most highly anticipated games for the Chiefs this season as they travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers and new QB, Tom Brady.
The Chiefs take on a revamped offense with Brady and the return of Rob Gronkowski. However, the secondary for their defense is weak and Mahomes will take complete advantage of that.
Mahomes evens his record against Brady and the Chiefs go in and win a tight battle against the Buccaneers, improving to 10-1 on the season.
Week 13- Chiefs vs. Broncos
The Chiefs come back to Arrowhead for their first home game after their bye week to take on the Broncos. Drew Lock will make his second start at Arrowhead and the Chiefs will come out ready to score points.
The defense will step up and get the number of stops needed to halt the Broncos chance of getting a victory.
This game will be leaning closer to a shootout and the Chiefs will come away with the victory improving to 11-1 on the season.
Week 14- Chiefs at Dolphins
The Chiefs will hit the road to go play at the stadium where they were crowned Super Bowl LIV Champions to take on the Dolphins. The Dolphins have completely rebuilt their team this offseason with additions to the defense in CB Byron Jones and LB Kyle Van Noy.
However, the Chiefs will continue their win streak and defeat the Dolphins in Miami as the defense will get pressure on Tua or Fitzpatrick (whichever one is the starter), and the offense will help the Chiefs get out of the gate fast.
With this win, the Chiefs improve to 12-1 on the season.
Week 15- Chiefs at Saints
This is arguably the Chiefs toughest game of the season as they travel to the Superdome to take on Drew Brees and the Saints.
This will definitely be a game like the Saints-49ers matchup last year that was a shootout, but the home crowd will lead to the Saints getting a big home victory over the Chiefs.
Tis type of loss won’t hurt the Chiefs playoff seeding as it will only be their second loss of the season as the Chiefs fall to 12-2.
Week 16- Chiefs vs. Falcons
Each year the Chiefs have a bad loss that should have been a victory. For example, last year it was the Titans in Week 10. This year it is going to be against the Atlanta Falcons.
The Falcons finished last year strong and added pieces to their defense in EDGE Dante Fowler Jr. in free agency and CB A.J. Terrell in the draft. They also brought in RB Todd Gurley.
The Falcon offense is still strong despite the loss of TE Austin Hooper and the Chiefs defense will struggle against Matt Ryan and co. This will be a game where the defense struggles and the offense can’t make up for it.
The Chiefs fall to the Falcons at home, dropping them to a 12-3 record.
Week 17- Chiefs vs. Chargers
The Chiefs once again end their season against the Los Angeles Chargers at home to end the season. This game will be an important one for the Chiefs as the one seed and first-round bye could be on the line.
To secure the top spot in the AFC playoff bracket, the Chiefs will play all their starters and get the win to secure a 13-3 record and the top seed in the playoffs.
Final Record Prediction: 13-3
I fully believe that the Chiefs roster will continually put this team at such an advantage over most other NFL teams. Especially at the beginning of the season, the team will show its dominance by defeating three division champions from last year. The Chiefs will be the first overall seed in the AFC with the 13-3 record.
