The Kansas City Chiefs' goals for this season are still very much alive as the playoffs get underway, but in the meantime, the conclusion of the regular season means that we now know the Chiefs' full slate of opponents in 2023.
It's worth mentioning that the schedule for next season is still to be determined, but at least for now, here's a look at the Chiefs' opponents next season alongside each respective team's record in 2022. Teams that qualified for the postseason are marked with an asterisk.
You'll also notice that the Chiefs have nine home games to eight road games next season. The onset of the 17-game schedule in 2021 meant an unbalanced number of home-road contests, prompting a solution that alternates the extra home game between conferences from season to season. The NFC had the benefit of the ninth home game this past season, meaning that each member of the AFC will have an extra home game this time around.
Additionally, an explanation of how these opponents were determined is below.
Home
Denver Broncos (5-12)
Los Angeles Chargers (10-7)*
Las Vegas Raiders (6-11)
Buffalo Bills (13-3)*
Cincinnati Bengals (12-4)*
Miami Dolphins (9-8)*
Chicago Bears (3-14)
Detroit Lions (9-8)
Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)*
Away
Denver Broncos (5-12)
Las Vegas Raiders (6-11)
Los Angeles Chargers (10-7)*
Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8)*
New England Patriots (8-9)
New York Jets (7-10)
Green Bay Packers (8-9)
Minnesota Vikings (13-4)*
To start with the obvious, six of the Chiefs' games next year will take place against AFC West opponents (the Broncos, Raiders and Chargers). That's the component of the schedule that remains the same from season to season. Kansas City went 6-0 against division rivals in 2022.
Beyond that, the Chiefs (and the rest of the AFC West) will take on the entirety of the AFC East (Bills, Dolphins, Patriots and Jets) and NFC North (Vikings, Lions, Packers and Bears) in 2023. Every division in the NFL plays one division from the AFC and one from the NFC on a rotating basis. For example, the Chiefs played the AFC South and NFC West this past year.
That already accounts for 14 of the Chiefs' matchups next season, leaving three remaining opponents. Two of those (the Bengals and Jaguars) were determined because of where each team finished in their respective division this past year. Kansas City won the AFC West, locking them in with matchups against the champions of the AFC North (Cincinnati) and AFC South (Jacksonville). The second-place team in the AFC West (the Chargers) will play the second-place teams from those two divisions (the Ravens and Titans) and so on.
The final game was calculated in a similar manner, as each member of the AFC West will play the team that finished in its same position in the NFC East. That pins the Chiefs against the champion of the NFC East (the Eagles) while the Chargers, for example, will play the Dallas Cowboys (who finished second). The location of this game is the one that alternates between conferences, which is why Philadelphia will travel to Kansas City next year. This inter-conference matching occurs on a four-year rotational basis, meaning that the AFC West will line up with the NFC West in 2024.
It all makes for another great schedule in 2023, but in the meantime, the Chiefs will look to finish the current campaign with another Lombardi Trophy.
