The Kansas City Chiefs came up just short in their pursuit of three consecutive Super Bowl titles, but with the 2025 season only six months away, the three-time defending AFC champions will be back on the field soon enough.
With that in mind, here's a look at the Chiefs' opponents next season. We won't know the actual schedule for at least a few months, but due to the league's scheduling formula, we already know the teams Kansas City will play in 2025. Those opponents are listed below alongside their respective records in 2024. Teams that made the postseason are noted 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 brought about an unbalanced number of home and 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 (10-7)*
Las Vegas Raiders (4-13)
Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)*
Baltimore Ravens (12-5)*
Detroit Lions (15-2)*
Houston Texans (10-7)*
Indianapolis Colts (8-9)
Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)*
Washington Commanders (12-5)*
Away
Denver Broncos (10-7)*
Las Vegas Raiders (4-13)
Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)*
Buffalo Bills (13-4)*
Dallas Cowboys (7-10)
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13)
New York Giants (3-14)
Tennessee Titans (3-14)
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 lone component of the schedule that remains the same from season to season.
Beyond that, the Chiefs (and the rest of the AFC West) will take on the entirety of the AFC South (Texans, Colts, Jaguars and Titans) and NFC East (Eagles, Commanders, Cowboys and Giants) in 2025. Every division in the NFL plays each team from one division in the AFC and one in the NFC on a rotating basis. For example, the Chiefs played the AFC North and NFC South this past year.
That already accounts for 14 of the Chiefs' matchups next season, leaving three remaining opponents. Two of those (the Bills and Ravens) 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 East (Buffalo) and AFC North (Baltimore). The second-place team in the AFC West (the Chargers) will play the second-place teams from those two divisions (the Dolphins and Steelers) 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 North. That pins the Chiefs against the champion of the NFC North (the Lions) while the Chargers, for example, will play the Minnesota Vikings (who finished second). The location of this game – which is often referred to as "the 17th game" – is the one that alternates between conferences. The AFC has more home games than the NFC this year, which is why this game will take place in Kansas City. This inter-conference matching occurs on a four-year rotational basis, meaning that the AFC West will line up with the NFC south in 2025.
It all makes for another great slate of opponents in 2025, and as the offseason kicks into high gear in the coming months, we'll learn the exact schedule soon enough.
