How many primetime games do the Chiefs have this year? 2026 schedule

Last year, the Kansas City Chiefs tied the NFL record for most primetime games in a single season. This year, that won't be the case. In a 2025 season that featured seven Chiefs primetime games, one year after playing in a third straight Super Bowl, Kansas City finished 6-11 and missed the playoffs.

After that disappointing season and with quarterback Patrick Mahomes recovering from a knee injury, the 2026 NFL schedule release showed slightly fewer primetime games for the Chiefs. Still, Mahomes could return in time for Week 1, and tight end Travis Kelce is coming back for his 14th season – meaning his fiancée, Taylor Swift , likely will be around as well. The Chiefs should be expected to have a better 2026, and they'll still pull a primetime audience.

NFL NEWS, TAKES, FANTASY ADVICE: USA TODAY Sports has you covered with our NFL vodcast This year's Chiefs primetime schedule features matchups against the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks, the reigning AFC champion Patriots, the NFC runners-up Rams and the AFC runners-up Broncos. They're also due to play their biggest conference rival of the last decade, the Bills, in primetime as well. The Seahawks and Broncos games will both be on "Sunday Night Football.

" The Bills matchup is the primetime game on Thanksgiving, and the Rams game is on "Thursday Night Football" one week later. Then, the Chiefs travel to take on the Bengals in Week 14 before facing the Patriots on "Monday Night Football" in Week 15. Here's what to know about the evening games on Kansas City's 2026 schedule: How many primetime games do the Chiefs have?