KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Here is the path laid out before the Chiefs for the 2020 season as they look to "Run It Back" and win another Super Bowl.
Kansas City will celebrate the Super Bowl LIV victory as they open the season Sept. 10 against the Houston Texans for a 7:20 p.m. kickoff. The game will be televised on 41 Action News.
It’s a moment 50 years in the making — so hopefully fans will be in the stands for the party.
Chiefs President Mark Donovan said he’s been in contact with Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and city leaders, including Mayor Quinton Lucas, and will continue those discussions as the season approaches — and the COVID-19 pandemic progresses.
The Chiefs’ preseason schedule includes the pro debut of 2020 No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals in Kansas City.
Road games at Arizona, which drafted Olathe North grad Isaiah Simmons eight overall last month, and Dallas follow before a home game against Green Bay as the final tune-up before the regular season.
All of Kansas City’s preseason games will air on 41 Action News, which is now the official Home of the Chiefs.
Dates and times for the preseason games will be announced at a later date, but the Bengals game will be in mid-August and the Packers game will be Sept. 3 or 4.
Sept. 10 vs. Houston Texans
Do you think the NFL wants Patrick Mahomes vs. Deshaun Watson to be a thing? The pair of rising-star QBs was selected two picks apart in the 2017 NFL Draft and neither has disappointed since entering the league. Despite a rough start to last season’s AFC Divisional playoff game — Kansas City dug a 24-0 hole, if you’ve forgotten — Mahomes got the best of Watson, who won a regular-season duel in Arrowhead Stadium last October. The third meeting in 11 months should be a fun ride to open the season, so it’s hard to blame the NFL.
Sept. 20 at Los Angeles Chargers
The Chiefs have won six straight road games against the Chargers and hope to continue that domination in posh new digs. Los Angeles will share SoFi Stadium, a $5 billion palace built on 300 acres near LAX, with the NFC West’s Rams. Maybe a change of venue will change the Chargers’ fortunes after losing 11 of the last 12 to Kansas City.
Sept. 28 at Baltimore Ravens
Patrick Mahomes vs. Lamar Jackson may become something of an annual thing, if the Chiefs and Ravens keep racking up division titles. Chapter III in the QB rivalry will be the first in Baltimore and first on Monday Night Football after Jackson and the Ravens lost heart-breakers in Kansas City each of the last two seasons. Baltimore made the most of a deep draft and came away with an incredible rookie haul, but will it be enough to offset the addition of Clyde Edwards-Helaire to an already frightening Chiefs offense? It’ll be fun either way.
Oct. 4 vs. New England Patriots
It’ll be weird seeing the Patriots hit town with someone other than Tom Brady behind center, but the Jarrett Stidham era has arrived. While New England’s offense figures to be a work in progress, the chess match between Andy Reid (arguably the preeminent offensive mind of his generation) against Bill Belichick (his generation’s top defensive mind) never fails to disappoint.
Oct. 11 vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Under coach Andy Reid, the Chiefs have never lost to the Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium, going 7-0 during that span. The Raiders beefed up their receiving corps, adding three playmakers from SEC squads — Alabama speedster Henry Ruggs III, South Carolina’s Bryan Edwards and Kentucky’s Lynn Bowden — in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. But will it matter?
Oct. 15 at Buffalo Bills
Bills QB Josh Allen improved across the board last season and he’s got more weapons now with the trade for Stefon Diggs and drafting Utah RB Zack Moss and Central Florida WR Grabriel Davis, while also adding to a stout defense with second-round pick A.J. Epenesa, a defensive end from Iowa. This may be one of the toughest tests for Mahomes and the Chiefs offense, especially with it being a road game on a Thursday night. Woof!
Oct. 25 at Denver Broncos
Lee’s Summit native and Mizzou grad Drew Lock, who cemented his place as the Broncos’ starting quarterback after leading Denver to a 4-1 record in five starts last season, gets his first crack at his hometown Chiefs with a new, dynamic supporting cast in place. The Broncos appear to be the toughest challenger for the Chiefs’ AFC West crown, which they’ve worn four straight years.
Nov. 1 vs. New York Jets
Sam Darnold vs. Patrick Mahomes sounds like a mismatch, and it should be. But don’t sleep on the Jets, who finished last season 6-2 and gave Darnold — who posted a respectable 93.3 rating with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions down the stretch last season — some new toys and more protection in the draft.
Nov. 8 vs. Carolina Panthers
Matt Rhule is making the jump from the Big 12, replacing Ron Rivera as head coach. QB Teddy Bridgewater is making the jump back to a full-time starting role after three seasons as a backup for Minnesota and New Orleans, where he went 5-0 with Drew Brees injured last season. The Panthers’ defense will miss tackling machine Luke Kuechly, who retired due to concussion concerns in the offseason.
Nov. 22 at Las Vegas Raiders
The Chiefs are scheduled to play in Sin City’s new Allegiant Stadium for the first time in the start of another new chapter for the Raiders. As a bonus, it will be on Sunday Night Football right here on 41 Action News. Kansas City won five of the last seven games in the rivalry in Oakland and hopes to continue torturing Derek Carr, or whomever starts at QB for Las Vegas, in the swanky new digs.
Nov. 29 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
We’re pretty sure the NFL mandated that Tom Brady go to a team on the Chiefs’ 2020 schedule after leaving New England — though the rumor (we just made up!) is completely unconfirmed. Still, it will be fun to get at least one more Mahomes vs. Brady showdown, assuming the two QBs are healthy by the late-season meeting. The Chiefs seem to have shrugged off historical struggles in Florida under Andy Reid, winning all four games — yes, we’re counting Super Bowl LIV! — on his watch in the Sunshine State.
Dec. 6 vs. Denver Broncos
The Broncos retooled the offense around Lock, WR Courtland Sutton, TE Noah Fant and RB Phillip Lindsay in hopes of being able to keep pace in a shootout with the Chiefs. GM John Elway signed RB Melvin Gordon, upgraded the offensive line through free agency before adding more depth up front in the draft, then picked three explosive pass-catching weapons — Alabama WR Jerry Jeudy and Penn State WR KJ Hamler and Missouri TE Albert Okwuegbunam — in the 2020 NFL Draft. It should be a treat on Sunday Night Football as Lock tries to erase the sour taste of last season’s only loss as a starter, which happened at Arrowhead Stadium.
Dec. 13 at Miami Dolphins
Remember when the Dolphins beat the Patriots in the season finale, handing the Chiefs the No. 2 overall seed in the playoffs last season? Maybe Kansas City owes Miami one. Just kidding! With QB Tua Tagovailoa on board and a promising finish to coach Brian Flores’ first season, the Dolphins are on the upswing, but they’re not in the Chiefs’ league quite yet — right?
Dec. 20 at New Orleans Saints
Patrick Mahomes vs. Drew Brees, the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns? Yes, please! This will be a critical late-season test for both teams, who hope to be in position to earn the No. 1 overall seed — and only first-round bye under the NFL’s new playoff format. We’re also excited to see who has a better game, Saints RB Alvin Kamara or Chiefs rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
Dec. 27 vs. Atlanta Falcons
After limping from the starting gate last season with a 1-7 record before a midseason bye, the Falcons went 6-2 down the stretch and closed 2019 with four straight wins — including a Week 15 stunner at San Francisco. Matt Ryan. who turns 35 this month, still has some tread on the tires and it will be interesting to see if RB Todd Gurley, a former star at Georgia, is rejuvenated by his return to the South paired with a strong receiving corps led by Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley.
Jan. 3 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Winners of five of the last six home games against the Chargers, the Chiefs get the first crack at continuing that dominance at Arrowhead Stadium against an old AFC West rival undergoing a massive overhaul. The Philip Rivers era is finished — he’s in Indianapolis now — and the Justin Herbert era has dawned, as long as he can beat out veteran Tyrod Taylor for the starting job.
The NFL plans a three-hour special on its network tonight, but Kansas City fans will already know the team’s path by that point.
During the 45 minutes prior to the “Schedule Release ‘20” special on NFL Network, which will feature an appearance by Chiefs coach Andy Reid, the team plans to release its schedule via a special hosted by Mitch Holthus and B.J. Kissel on the team’s official YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
WATCH THE CHIEFS SPECIAL WITH US
You can also watch the Chiefs special right here on KSHB.com by returning to this page at 6:15 p.m.
That's when the Chiefs' special begins across all platforms and, while fans have to wait to find out when and where the Chiefs play (and on which networks), some things already are known, as 41 Action News Sports Director Mick Shaffer explains.
In addition to home-and-away games against the AFC West, including the first trip to the nomadic Raiders’ new Las Vegas home, Kansas City plays every team from the AFC East and NFC South this season.
The Chiefs get the Tom Brady-less New England Patriots, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers at Arrowhead Stadium — we assume! but COVID, right? — and play at Tom Brady’s new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints.
The Chiefs also are scheduled to toss the oblong pigskin in a game at the Baltimore Ravens and host the Houston Texans — who surely won’t remember blowing a 24-0 lead in the AFC Divisional playoffs during the last trip to Kansas City, will they?
There are some tantalizing quarterback matchups on the slate — Brady, Drew Brees, Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson and 2020 top-five pick Tua Tagovailoa. Unfortunately, all but one is on the road.
The good news? The Chiefs still have the world’s best QB in Patrick Mahomes, which makes every home game feel like a carnival for KC fans.
We also know the NFL won't be scheduling any international games this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Single-game and group tickets for the 2020 season go on sale Friday, the team announced earlier in the week.
Refunds will be available if games are canceled or must be played without fans in attendance, but today is not the day to think about what might happen with COVID-19.
Instead, it’s a day to think about what might happen if Mahomes stays healthy and goes berserk with like 60 touchdown passes this season.
The full league schedule also will be posted on the league website.
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