The 2020 NFL schedule has been released, and we finally know the exact order of when the Kansas City Chiefs will play each of their games. While the Chiefs boast an average schedule among NFL teams, according to strength of schedule rankings. That doesn’t mean, however, that it’ll be an easy path for Kansas City to make it back to the postseason.
The Chiefs are slated to play some very good football teams with some high-quality players, specifically at the quarterback position. They also have a few games that fall at some inopportune moments which will make things even more difficult. With an eye towards the future, let’s take a look at the matchups that could prove to be the hardest for the Chiefs in 2020.
5. Week 15 at New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints have been a very complete team over the past three seasons, boasting a 37-11 record in that span.
Sean Peyton is a brilliant head coach, ranking fifth among active NFL coaches in career win total. Their defense is stingy, allowing fewer yards or points than you’d expect. They have a great group of offensive weapons, headlined by star receiver Michael Thomas and running back Alvin Kamara. Their quarterback, Drew Brees, became the all-time leader in passing touchdowns during the 2019 season. And at 41 years old, he’s still playing and slinging the football at a high level.
This game is the second of two road matches before Kansas City wraps the final two games of the season at home. They’ll face the Miami Dolphins and rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa the week prior. That certainly won’t help the Chiefs with this tough matchup.
4. Week 6 at Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a team that everyone is looking at as the team that can rise from the ashes of the Tom Brady era in the AFC East. They have a big-armed young QB in Josh Allen. They added a true No. 1 WR in Stefon Diggs via trade with the Vikings. Their defense is always one of the more underrated and dirty tough groups out there. Head coach Sean McDermott, of course, is part of the Andy Reid coaching tree.
If fans are allowed in the stadium, they have a dedicated and wild fanbase that is on par with Chiefs Kingdom in terms of their passion. They could definitely have a big impact on the game.
Historically speaking, the road teams in Thursday night games don’t do too well. Last season, the Chiefs got the win on the road against the Broncos on “Thursday Night Football” despite losing star QB Patrick Mahomes to a kneecap injury during that game. After that situation, I think Kansas City is probably impervious to any Thursday night voodoo.
I’m a bit skeptical of this Bills team. They had the AFC East in their hands in 2019 and let it slip away all too easily. I have a hard time believing they’ve done enough to mitigate the mistakes that Allen tends to make far too often on offense.
3. Week 4 vs. New England Patriots
The Chiefs don’t have a lot of tough home games, but this stands out as one of them. The first thing you’ll notice is that it comes after the Week 3 Monday night game against the Baltimore Ravens. They’ll have one less day to get ready for the Patriots, which is never a good thing.
Tom Brady may have shipped off to Tampa Bay, but New England still has a lot going for them. They’ve got the winningest active head coach in the NFL in Bill Belichick. They still have the bones of the best defense of the 2019 NFL season, with the only notable departures being Jamie Collins and Kyle Van Noy. That’s a unit that allowed on average just 20 points per game last season.
This will be an opportunity for Josh McDaniels to shine as an offensive coordinator for the Patriots. If he can get Jarrett Stidham and the rest of the Patriots offense operating at even an average level, this will end up being a competitive team, and one that could just be starting to click when they head to Kansas City in Week 4.
2. Week 12 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I feel like there are a lot of people expecting the Tom Brady experiment in Tampa Bay to be incredible or an unmitigated disaster.
Truth be told, the Buccaneers’ 7-9 record from the 2019 season doesn’t really tell the whole story. That was a good football team, specifically on the offensive side of the ball, thanks to some great coaching from Bruce Arians and Byron Leftwich. The Bucs offense actually averaged more points per game last season (28.6) than the Kansas City Chiefs (28.2) did. The fact that Tampa Bay even won seven games is a miracle considering that then-QB Jameis Winston averaged nearly two interceptions per game.
Now Rob Gronkowski is back in the league, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Cameron Brate will have a future Hall of Fame QB throwing them the ball. This offense has a chance to be even better during the 2020 season. Their defense was right around the league average in 2019, but they added one of my favorite players in the draft in Antoine Winfield Jr., who has Tyrann Mathieu-like versatility.
One thing that will make this game tough for the Chiefs is that it’s the second of back-to-back road games. The first game comes on “Monday Night Football” against the Las Vegas Raiders. Division rivalry games always take a bit extra out of the team, so that’s something to keep an eye on.
This game will, of course, be hyped up as Tom Brady vs. Patrick Mahomes IV. If the season is going well for the Bucs, it could have significant playoff implications in the AFC during the last half of the season.
1. Week 3 at Baltimore Ravens
This game isn’t just the hardest game for the Kansas City Chiefs, but it could also play a very big factor in the Chiefs’ postseason goals. With changes to postseason play going into effect under the new CBA, only the No. 1 seed of each conference will get a first-round bye week. Whoever wins this matchup will hold the tie-breaker over the other team.
It doesn’t help Kansas City that this is a Monday Night Football game and it’s played on the road. It’s also sure to be one of the most hyped-up games in the 2020 NFL season, with two of the leagues premier quarterbacks squaring off.
During the 2019 regular season, the Ravens were a powerhouse on offense and opportunistic on defense. They fell short of their postseason aspirations during the AFC divisional round against the Tennessee Titans. Don’t get it twisted though, this is still a very good football team.
They have the 2019 league MVP at QB in Lamar Jackson. They have a Super Bowl-winning head coach in John Harbaugh. They also added a ton of great talent on both sides of the ball in the 2020 NFL draft including LSU LB Patrick Queen and Ohio State RB J.K. Dobbins. Baltimore really reminds me a bit of the Chiefs in 2018, they came close and didn’t get it done last season, but they have the ability to be right back in the mix for the Super Bowl in 2020.
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