After the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX, football fans are already turning their attention to the 2026 NFL season. While we won’t get the 2026 NFL season schedule until mid-May, we do already know some important facts about the upcoming season. For instance, we know every team’s 2026 opponents.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ 2026 opponent slate isn’t any easier than the difficult road they faced this year. They will play the Super Bowl LX champion Seahawks on the road, setting them up for a rather unique opportunity. The Seahawks could host the Chiefs in Week 1 when they raise their Super Bowl LX banner. Kansas City is used to playing host in Week 1 after winning two of the past four Super Bowls, but the tables could actually turn for them in 2026.

The Chiefs are one of six possible options for the Seahawks’ 2026 NFL season opener

As Super Bowl LX champions, the Seattle Seahawks will host the NFL season opener on September 10, 2026. They have just six possible opponents for that Week 1 game, as their NFC West division rivals, the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, are slated to play in Melbourne, Australia, in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season.

Here are the possible teams that Seattle could host:

• Patriots
• Bears
• Cowboys
• Giants
• Chargers
• Chiefs

Choosing the Chiefs would be a massive mistake by NFL schedule makers

Should the Chiefs draw the Super Bowl champs in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season, it’d be a massive mistake on the part of the NFL.

Patrick Mahomes has said he wants to be ready to play in Week 1, but we still don’t know whether he will be fully recovered and ready to go from his ACL and LCL injuries. The recovery for his particular injury ranges from nine to eleven months, but every rehab faces different challenges, and every injury is different. The last thing that NFL fans want to see is a backup quarterback facing the reigning Super Bowl champions, and that’s a very real possibility if Seattle were to host Kansas City in Week 1.

The game between the Chiefs and Seahawks has the potential to be a marquee matchup during the 2026 NFL season, but only if Mahomes were to go head-to-head with Seahawks QB Sam Darnold. We’ve seen just how non-competitive K.C. is without Mahomes in the fold during the final stretch of 2025. While you can’t guarantee a player’s health no matter when the game is scheduled, placing this one later in the season at least gives the league some runway if Mahomes has a setback or simply isn’t ready to go in Week 1.

Typically, the NFL prefers a rising team to face the Super Bowl champs in Week 1, so I could see the Chicago Bears or Los Angeles Chargers as realistic options. If the Chiefs were to get this draw over teams like the Bears and Chargers, it might simply mean the league knows something about Mahomes’ rehab, recovery, and return-to-play timeline that the public doesn’t.

About the author

Charles Goldman

NFL Managing Editor

Charles Goldman is an NFL Managing Editor for A to Z Sports. He has been covering the Kansas City Chiefs for a decade.