The 2025-26 NFL season was the worst one for the Kansas City Chiefs in the Patrick Mahomes era. In fact, after nearly a decade worth of dominance in the AFC West, the Chiefs finished third in the division and missed the playoffs with an uncharacteristic 6-11 record.
The Chiefs’ season opener against divisional rivals, the Los Angeles Chargers, in Brazil, set the tone for the season ahead. Kansas City started the 2025 season without its WR1 Rashee Rice, who was serving a 10-game league suspension for his involvement in a car crash from the previous year.
The Chiefs’ offense as a whole struggled with Rice missing most of the season, Xavier Worthy playing the entire season with a shoulder injury, Travis Kelce declining in production, and a relatively non-existent run game. KC has made a key change by bringing back former OC Eric Bienemy in place of the outgoing Matt Nagy.
The defense performed better overall, but multiple lapses led to big mistakes, in turn resulting in losses. The Chiefs lost as many as 9 games by one score or less. The team’s top defensive player, Chris Jones, had less of an impact, and the defense as a whole was unable to keep the team afloat, unlike the past couple of years.
Kansas City Chiefs Total Wins Over/Under Odds for 2026-27 Regular Season
After finishing the previous season with only 6 wins and 11 losses, the Kansas City Chiefs are expected to win around 10 games in the upcoming 2026-27 NFL season, as per the odds via DraftKings.
The table below shows the Over/Under for the Chiefs’ total wins in the upcoming regular season.
Kansas City Chiefs 2026-27 regular season wins
Over 10.5
-105
Under 10.5
-115
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Despite a horrendous 2025-26 season as per the Chiefs’ standards, Kansas City is still expected to win around 10 games in the upcoming season.
The main reason for that is the Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes combination, which has led them to be perennial postseason contenders. If Mahomes comes back from his ACL injury completely healthy, that is already a massive boost.
Moreover, with Eric Bienemy back, the Chiefs’ offense is expected to be much more explosive than in years past. Although for that to function properly, they would need to add a couple of reliable pass-catchers.
If the defense can produce similar results as last season or improve upon them, and the offense takes a massive step in the right direction, this team has the ability to get back to the playoffs. The one concerning factor, though, is their difficult upcoming schedule, which ranks as the 5th toughest in the league. Here is a look at their list of opponents for the 2026-27 NFL season.
Denver Broncos
Los Angeles Chargers
Las Vegas Raiders
New England Patriots
New York Jets
Indianapolis Colts
Arizona Cardinals
San Francisco 49ers
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
Cincinnati Bengals
Los Angeles Rams
Seattle Seahawks
Atlanta Falcons
For the upcoming season, the Chiefs have 4 games against their divisional rivals, the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers. These games are expected to be tough as both teams made the postseason last year.
Then, the Chiefs will be up against another difficult division, the NFC West, consisting of the Rams, 49ers, and the current Super Bowl champions, the Seahawks. Games against the Patriots, Bills, and Bengals can also pose problems as these teams have a strong core set of players and are well-coached.
However, as per the records from last season and the current roster makeup, the Chiefs could have it easy against the likes of the Raiders, Jets, Cardinals, and Dolphins.
Early prediction: Chiefs 2026-27 regular season record: 10-7
Kansas City Chiefs Major Injuries and Concerns going into 2026-27 NFL Season
Injuries
Apart from the normal injuries woes after a grueling season of football, the only real main concern for the Chiefs is the recovery of quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The 3-time Super Bowl winner tore his ACL and LCL towards the end of the regular season, and the recovery timeline is around 9 months.
That means the Chiefs can pretty much expect him either for Week 1 of the new season or after a few weeks, as and when he becomes completely healthy. If he misses the initial part of the season, that could be a crucial blow for the Chiefs, especially since they would have some critical games against tough opponents.
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Roster concerns
Coming to the roster, the Chiefs have some pressing needs they need to address this offseason. First of all, tight end Travis Kelce is unsure about his future, but even if he decides to come back for another year, his prime is well and truly behind him. Kansas City needs to look for Kelce’s replacement even if it comes from the draft.
The wide receiver room is another problem for the Chiefs. Despite having quality within the ranks in Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy, the room left much to be wanted last season. Moreover, Rice and his off-field issues are becoming a headache, which could also have an impact on the locker room. Adding depth here is crucial.
The Chiefs have also decided to let go of offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor, and that means they need to add a depth piece, if not a starting tackle, to make up for the loss. Last season was another year where Mahomes wasn’t protected as well as the team would have liked, and the lack of quality play by the O-line was partly responsible for the underperforming run game.
On defense, the team has stable and decent players, especially at the linebacker and secondary positions. However, the roster doesn’t have too many elite players. Chris Jones isn’t getting any younger, and last season he showed signs of slowing down. Cornerback Trent McDuffie has contract negotiations going on, and holding onto him would certainly be a priority.
Kansas City Chiefs NFL 2026-27 Draft Picks and how they can have an impact on the Total Over/Under Wins Odds
In the upcoming 2026 NFL draft, the Kansas City Chiefs have a total of 7 draft picks at the moment. Any trades with teams could increase or decrease those picks prior to draft day. Since the Chiefs didn’t make the playoffs last season and finished with a 6-11 record, they have the luxury of selecting inside the top ten this time.
As a matter of fact, Kansas City’s first-round pick will be the 9th overall pick, which puts them in a great situation for a top player at a position of their choice. The Chiefs have plenty of needs on the roster, and it is for them to decide whether to chase a wide receiver, running back, interior D-lineman, or another position in the initial rounds.
Depending on which position the Chiefs decide to fill in the early rounds, their draft selections could have an impact on their upcoming season. If, for example, they are able to draft a top-notch running back such as Jeremiah Love, he could provide massive relief for Mahomes under center, as the non-existent run game has been a huge problem for the AFC West franchise.
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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!
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