The NFL schedule release is one of the most exciting things fans look forward to. It gives fans the chance to break down a team’s win/loss record and create optimism heading into the season. The schedule release comes after free agency and the draft so most fans are already riding a wave of optimism and “this is out year” chants. That holds true for the Kansas City Chiefs 2021 schedule, as people predicting more wins than Kansas City will probably actually get but that doesn’t stop this exercise from providing useful insights such as the strength of schedule and home/road stretches.
Based on 2020 win totals, the Kansas City Chiefs will have the 11th hardest strength of schedule with their opponents having a winning record of 138-132-2 (.511). Kansas City will face seven playoff teams from last year, with six of those games coming in the first nine weeks. No team has more prime-time games than the Chiefs this season (five).
The end of the season will likely determine if the Chiefs win the AFC West as they have four division games in the final six weeks. A fun fact for the Chiefs 2021 schedule is that Patrick Mahomes will face five teams (Green Bay, Washington, New York Giants, Dallas, and Philadelphia) he has never played against. Let’s look at how the rest of the schedule shapes up.
Kansas City Chiefs 2021 Schedule: First Half
Week One| 9/12/21| Kansas City Chiefs vs Cleveland Browns
Week one of the Chiefs 2021 schedule will kick off with a bang as a divisional-round rematch and a potential AFC Championship preview. The Browns‘ biggest weakness last season was their secondary and they heavily addressed it in free agency and the draft. They also added Jadeveon Clowney who will pair with Myles Garrett to form a deadly pass rush unit. The Chiefs should hold up well against the Browns’ pass rushers after they have completely re-built their offensive line. This will be the top game of week one but the Browns will ultimately fall short as the Chiefs’ offense will be too much to overcome at Arrowhead.
Week Two| 9/19/21| Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens
The first road game of the Chiefs 2021 schedule will be in Baltimore. Over the past few seasons, the Chiefs and Ravens have become big-time rivals. The teams have completely different styles as the Chiefs are a finesse team while the Ravens run the ball more than anyone else. These wildly different styles have led to some of the best games since 2018. As competitive as they’ve been, the Ravens have yet to topple the Mahomes lead Chiefs. This will be a hard-fought game but the Chiefs will come out on top again.
Week Three| 9/26/21| Kansas City Chiefs vs Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert became a revelation for the Chargers last season on his way to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Chargers should be even better this year with Herbert having more familiarity and a better offensive line. In the last four match-ups, the Chiefs have won three times. The Chargers won the last time these two teams played but it was in a game where the Chiefs rested their starters. The starters won’t miss this game, however, and will once again beat their division foe.
Week Four| 10/3/21| Kansas City Chiefs at Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles are a pretty big unknown this season. They haven’t been a good team as of late but second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts will be the starting quarterback and potentially provide new life for the team. However, he isn’t winning a duel against Patrick Mahomes. This should be a relatively easy win to mark down on the Chiefs 2021 schedule.
Week Five| 10/10/21| Kansas City Chiefs vs Buffalo Bills
Another playoff rematch on the Chiefs 2021 schedule is against the Bills. These two teams faced off in the AFC Championship game last year where the Chiefs won by double digits. The Chiefs put up nearly 40 points in that game and have re-enforced Mahomes since. This has a strong chance to be another AFC Championship preview but the Bills defense will once again struggle against the Chiefs’ offense as the Chiefs get the win at home.
Week Six| 10/17/21| Kansas City Chiefs at Washington Football Team
Washington might not come off as a competitive team at first look but they could upset the Chiefs. They signed quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick who will leave everything on the field. Washington has two of the most underrated wide receivers in Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel as well as a very promising young running back in Antonio Gibson.
The Washington defense is a top-tier unit. Their defensive line is the best positional group in all of the NFL. The Chiefs have vastly upgraded their offensive line but it might not be enough to stop the ferocious Washington pass rush. I’ll take Washington pulling off an upset in a close game as they are the first team to force a loss on the Chiefs 2021 schedule.
Week Seven| 10/24/21| Kansas City Chiefs at Tennessee Titans
The Chiefs and Titans have formed a second-tier rivalry with one another over the past two seasons. They play tough physical games with one another that has plenty of fireworks. The Titans haven’t done enough to address their defense, especially compared to what the Chiefs have done to address their offense, and the Chiefs offense should be able to move the ball fairly easily. This will be another Kansas City win.
Week Eight| 11/1/21| Kansas City Chiefs vs New York Giants
The Giants, while still having a losing record last season, appeared to take a step in the right direction. Head coach Joe Judge has been bringing a winning mentality to the team. The team has also added a lot to the offense to help quarterback Daniel Jones. Running back Saquon Barkley will also be back and he has the ability to make this game interesting. However, the overall talent difference between these two teams is vast. The should be an easy win for the Chiefs.
Week Nine| 11/7/21| Kansas City Chiefs vs Green Bay Packers
These teams played last season and the Packers edged out a victory against the Mahomes-less Chiefs. The Packers‘ offense will still be a lethal unit but the defense is sorely lacking. They’ll have a hard time slowing down the Chiefs in front of a raucous Arrowhead stadium. We’ll get plenty of fireworks but the Chiefs have the better overall talent and home-field advantage.
Kansas City Chiefs 2021 Schedule: Second Half
Week 10| 11/14/21| Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders play the Chiefs tough but last year’s upset win was an anomaly. Since Andy Reid joined the Chiefs in 2013, the Chiefs have gone 13-3 against the Raiders. Even in the upset win, the Raiders gave up 32 points. A big reason for the upset was the Chiefs’ offensive line struggling to protect Mahomes. After the offensive line renovations, that likely won’t happen again. Raiders won’t have an answer as the Chiefs get another win against the divisional rival.
Week 11| 11/21/21| Kansas City Chiefs vs Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys could potentially pull off the upset. Dak Prescott was on a historic pace before being hurt last season. The Cowboys’ offense will be among the best in the NFL and will be able to keep pace with the Chiefs’ offense. The Cowboys defense on the other hand is not a good unit. They’ll grow from last season but they’ll have a hard time against the Chiefs in Kansas City. The Chiefs will come away with the win in what might be the highest-scoring game of the season.
Week 12 BYE
The Chiefs were able to get a later season bye which is beneficial. They’ll be able to rest up as they make the final push of the regular season.
Week 13| 12/5/21| Kansas City Chiefs vs Denver Broncos
This is nearly a lock for the Chiefs. Denver just has not been able to compete with them over the last two years being outscored 118-41. No reason to expect this to change.
Week 14| 12/12/21| Kansas City Chiefs vs Oakland Raiders
The Raiders will be able to put up points in this contest. The Raiders’ defense will fail to get stops in this contest. Chiefs will win this game by double digits.
Week 15| 12/19/21| Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers
Even though the offensive stars sat in their final meeting last season, the defense was a full go. Herbert and the Chargers put up 38 points. The Chargers are on the cusp of ending the Chiefs’ dominance against them and will start splitting the series. Chargers win by less than seven.
Week 16| 12/26|21| Kansas City Chiefs vs Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers defense is a dominating group. They can rush the passer, stuff the run, and force turnovers in the passing game. They have multiple defensive player of the year candidates in TJ Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick. The offense, however, doesn’t inspire much hope. The defense will be able to slow down the Chiefs but even at a slowed pace, the Steelers won’t be able to keep up.
Week 17| 1/2/22| Kansas City Chiefs at Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals have a lot of promise for the future. They have young stars in Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins, and Ja’Marr Chase as well as proven veterans in Joe Mixon and Tyler Boyd. The offense might be able to keep this game close but the gap between the talent of these two teams is far too wide for the Bengals to overcome. The Chiefs will add another away win.
Week 18| 1/9/22| Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos
Even at home, with the Chiefs potentially resting their starters, the Broncos have little chance in this game.
Kansas City Chiefs 2021 Schedule: Overall Record
In this Chiefs 2021 schedule breakdown, I have the team going 15-2. It may seem like a hard number to reach but the Mahomes lead Chiefs have gone 44-10 in three seasons. That’s an average of three losses per season so a 15-2 record is right on par with their history. The team will win the number one seed and the AFC playoffs will once again run through Kansas City.
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