Six playoff teams and three away games are the gauntlet the Kansas City Chiefs are facing this year. After last season's 6-11 record, they are under pressure to clinch a playoff berth in one of the toughest schedules, especially from Week 12 to 18.

“It would appear on paper that Weeks 12-18 are going to be the hardest stretch of games the Chiefs will have, facing six possible playoff teams with only three home games,” Jazmyne Martinez of Athlon Sports wrote. 

According to ESPN, the Chiefs have the fifth-toughest schedule this season. The final seven performances will determine whether the team will reach the playoffs after missing them last year for the first time in a decade.

Weeks 12-14 are a cluster of three away games with high stakes and against one of their biggest foes. The Chiefs will face the Buffalo Bills, led by Josh Allen, in Week 12 for the Thanksgiving Sunday Night Football.

The Chiefs have lost all their regular matchups against the Bills since 2020, Athlon Sports noted on July 14. Defeating the Allen and Co. in front of the Bills Mafia would be the morale boost that will propel the Chiefs' playoff hopes.

Nothing would scream comeback more than defeating the reigning MVP, quarterback Matthew Stafford, and Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett. 

The team will face former teammates Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, now with the Los Angeles Rams, the following week. The Rams are ranked as the top team by ESPN this season, and the Chiefs must emerge victorious to cement their playoff campaign.

In Week 14, their last away game, the Chiefs are facing the Cincinnati Bengals. They are yet to win in the city with Mahomes as their starter, and all eyes would be on him to see if it can happen.

The team will then return to the Arrowhead Stadium and the New England Patriots, last year’s Super Bowl contender. Their next game is against an NFC opponent, the San Francisco 49ers. 

In Weeks 17 and 18, the Chiefs are scheduled for a faceoff against the Los Angeles Chargers first and then the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders might not hold championship caliber but could pull of a surprising upset against their rivals. 

Last year, Mahomes’ season ended prematurely with a serious injury and the team ended with a upsetting 6-11 record. The talks of his return are clouded by uncertainty but ESPN has made a bold prediction on Mahomes.

Patrick Mahomes believed to play in every 2026 season game

Recently, ESPN remarked on the Kansas City Chiefs' difficult 2026 schedule. In the analysis, Patrick Mahomes, the team’s star quarterback, is predicted to make a season-long comeback.

“Mahomes will play in every game this season. Those with knowledge of his progress have said Mahomes has excelled in his rehab, which has allowed him to begin his usual offseason training sessions,” Nate Taylor of ESPN wrote on May 15. 

In Week 15 last year, Mahomes sustained a serious injury to his left knee during a tackle. He tore his ACL and LCL and was heartbroken at his failed playoff campaign. That was the first time he missed reaching the playoffs in his NFL career.

The pressure is insurmountable for the Chiefs, and their schedule unforgiving. Will they crack beneath it, or win? What are your thoughts?

Read more at the Kansas City Chiefs Community! 

Written by

Akanksha Biradar