Previewing and Predicting Every Game of the 2024 Kansas City Chiefs Schedule

The Kansas City Chiefs' 2024 schedule is set. How will the back-to-back defending champions fare as they attempt to make their run at a three-peat?

Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs' 2024 season schedule is finally here, setting the stage for an interesting year for the reigning back-to-back champions. The Chiefs are set to play every day of the week except for Tuesday in 2024, and they begin the year with two high-profile showdowns with two of their biggest AFC foes.

How will the Chiefs fare in 2024? Who cares that it's mid-May? Let's preview and predict every game of the season!

Week 1: Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs (Sept. 5, Thursday Night Football)

Head coach Andy Reid is famously excellent with extra time to prepare, and last year's Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions (without tight end Travis Kelce and defensive lineman Chris Jones) shouldn't undercut that reputation. In an AFC Championship Game rematch, I'll pick KC to reign victorious again, even with a new group of wide receivers likely having to carry the WR workload against a new-look Ravens defense.
Chiefs record: 1-0

Week 2: Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs (Sept. 15, Sunday)

These first two matchups will define the first half of the season for all three teams involved, shaping the AFC playoff race and the narratives for the trio of AFC contenders. With a healthy Joe Burrow returning, can the Bengals prove they deserve to return to that conversation? In this game, the Chiefs get the benefit of a mini-bye after their Thursday season-opener, but it's a brutal first two weeks for KC. I'll take the Chiefs to win both of these games individually, but a 1-1 start wouldn't be surprising.
Chiefs record: 2-0

Week 3: Kansas City Chiefs at Atlanta Falcons (Sept. 22, Sunday Night Football)

These aren't last year's Falcons! With Kirk Cousins at quarterback, Atlanta's array of weapons becomes scary, but the Chiefs still hold an advantage on both sides of the ball. Kansas City may have to win a shootout if the Falcons come out firing, but they should start their NFC slate with a win.
Chiefs record: 3-0

Week 4: Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers (Sept. 29, Sunday)

The Chargers seem to have the head coach/quarterback combo figured out with Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert, but is the rest of the roster ready to contend? I don't think so, though the AFC West usually delivers a surprise or two.
Chiefs record: 4-0

Week 5: New Orleans Saints at Kansas City Chiefs (Oct. 7, Monday Night Football)

Of all the odd decisions on the Chiefs' schedule... Derek Carr on Monday Night Football?
Chiefs record: 5-0

Week 6: Bye week

Week 7: Kansas City Chiefs at San Francisco 49ers (Oct. 20, Sunday)

By the nature of the NFL, it's unlikely that any team starts the year undefeated through this point, but the bye week comes before this Super Bowl rematch, so it's hard to pick against the Chiefs here either.
Chiefs record: 6-0

Week 8: Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders (Oct. 27, Sunday)

I went back and forth on this one. New full-time head coach Antonio Pierce has the vibes flowing in the right direction for the Raiders, their defense could be menacing in 2024 with the addition of Christian Wilkins on the defensive line next to Maxx Crosby, and it's remarkably difficult to go undefeated in the AFC West. ...But is Gardner Minshew or Aidan O'Connell going to beat Patrick Mahomes? O'Connell's Raiders beat the Chiefs on Christmas in 2023, but O'Connell didn't complete a single pass outside of the first quarter. Weird things happen in the AFC West, but it's hard to know when they're going to happen. If the Raiders still have playoff hopes by late October, this game could mean more to them than it does to KC, and maybe Minshew goes wild while the Chiefs struggle with a mid-season lull. I'm biting the bullet here, in part because I don't see another AFC West loss on KC's schedule.
Chiefs record: 6-1

Week 9: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Kansas City Chiefs (Nov. 4, Monday Night Football)

As is the case with the vast majority of the games on the Chiefs' schedule: they could lose this one. The Buccaneers are frisky, and Baker Mayfield and Co. could produce enough points to make the Chiefs defend Arrowhead with plenty of scoring of their own. However, in a world where KC falls to Vegas the week prior and gets an extra day to prepare for Monday Night Football, I don't see the Chiefs getting pillaged twice.
Chiefs record: 7-1

Week 10: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs (Nov. 10, Sunday)

The Chiefs won't see Bo Nix (or, theoretically, Zack Wilson or Jarrett Stidham) until Week 10, which has to disappoint defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. If Nix works out, perhaps he and head coach Sean Payton can challenge the Chiefs in future years, but I'm not worried about Nix leading that charge as a rookie.
Chiefs record: 8-1

Week 11: Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills (Nov. 17, Sunday)

In one of the best rivalries in football, the Bills have beaten the Chiefs in their last three regular season meetings. In the three playoff matchups of the Mahomes-Josh Allen era, KC is up 3-0. In Buffalo, with the Bills likely having the tougher divisional path to the playoffs, I'm content to pick the Bills here, and I'll take the Chiefs if they meet again in the postseason.
Chiefs record: 8-2

Week 12: Kansas City Chiefs at Carolina Panthers (Nov. 24, Sunday)

The Panthers will be (must be?) better than they were last season, but KC should be trying to let Carson Wentz finish this game.
Chiefs record: 9-2

Week 13: Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs (Nov. 29, Friday)

All of my earlier Chiefs-Raiders logic holds true here, but the shine could be off Vegas' season by this point, and I'm giving the home teams the win in each matchup. Plus, if Vegas wins this game, they'll claim "Silver and Black Friday" for the rest of the year.
Chiefs record: 10-2

Week 14: Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs (Dec. 8, Sunday Night Football)

As things stand right now, in the midst of the offseason, I'm going to pick the Chiefs to sweep the Chargers in 2024. Depending on how they look through the first 13 weeks, I could see this game getting much closer to a toss-up. Depending on how much Harbaugh can maximize the roster and Herbert's health in a revamped offense, I expect the Chargers to play spoiler at some point late in the year. Still, I won't predict that they'll get the Chiefs.
Chiefs record: 11-2

Week 15: Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns (Dec. 15, Sunday)

The Browns could do almost anything in 2024 and I'm not sure any of it would surprise me. Myles Garrett is a game-wrecker, but the Browns' offense is a complete unknown due to the play they've gotten from their quarterback. There's a version of the '24 Browns that could be a playoff team, but it requires getting a 2019-2020 version of Deshaun Watson.
Chiefs record: 12-2

Week 16: Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs (Dec. 21, Saturday)

This game is the highlight of the back end of the Chiefs' schedule, and it's a chance for the Texans to plant their flag as a legitimate AFC contender, if there's still any question by Week 16. C.J. Stroud and DeMeco Ryans could be on MVP and Coach of the Year tracks if they build on their achievements of 2023, and the Chiefs could pop that hype balloon with a win at Arrowhead four days before Christmas. This is another toss-up (seven months before the game kicks off), but I'll take the champs over the contenders for now.
Chiefs record: 13-2

Week 17: Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers (Dec. 25, Wednesday)

On the road for Christmas and playing on a Wednesday, this game reeks of upset potential. The opponent? Not so much. Even as a bit of a Justin Fields believer (who I'd expect to be starting by the end of the year), I don't think the Steelers have the firepower to pull off the surprise, but it feels like there's a much better chance than there would have been if this game was played on a Sunday earlier in the year. Nobody should plan on a relaxing Christmas, but I'll pick KC.
Chiefs record: 14-2

Week 18: Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos (TBD)

If the Chiefs are 13-2 heading into this game, the result may not matter. However, with just one first-round bye, I'll assume KC plays starters in hopes of locking up the AFC's No. 1 seed and that they dispatch the Broncos to do so.
Chiefs record: 15-2

How does a 15-2 record feel for the Chiefs in 2024?

I'm still halfway expecting the Chiefs to be 1-1 after those first two games, but the extra rest is an advantage that should outweigh the high level of competition. Even with a loss in one of those games or with the usual "hey, wait, how did that happen?" type of loss most teams experience, the Chiefs would be 14-3, which would still likely be enough for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Frankly, they could lose one game to the Ravens, Bengals or Texans and drop a confusing upset in addition to my two projected losses and still land at a respectable 13-4. The Chiefs went 14-2 in 2020 (the last 16-game season) and 14-3 in 2022. (The Ravens were the AFC's No. 1 seed in 2023 with a 13-4 record.)

Here's the bottom line: the Chiefs' regular season is largely about getting the first-round bye that comes with the No. 1 seed and making sure they're up to speed for the playoffs. If the Chiefs win the head-to-head matchups against their AFC foes, they could write off a loss to a team like the Buccaneers or 49ers without severely damaging their shot at the bye. Ultimately, I'm expecting a 14-3 season for the Chiefs in 2024, but going game-by-game, it's hard to pick against the back-to-back defending champions.

Read More: Travis Kelce on Chiefs Opening 2024 Season Against Ravens and Bengals