The NFL’s incumbent dynasty is at a crossroads.
Last year was the Kansas City Chiefs’ first season without at least a conference championship berth since 2017, back when Alex Smith was under center. The Patrick Mahomes era produced three Super Bowl titles and two more Super Bowl appearances between 2018-24. We’re about to find out if the juice is still fresh in Arrowhead.
Mahomes, who turns 31 years old in September, is coming off a torn ACL and LCL. Travis Kelce, who turns 37 in October, has settled down into married life. Andy Reid now stands as the league’s oldest head coach. Oh, how time passes.
A few notable reinforcements have come to Chiefs Kingdom. Kenneth Walker III, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, arrives to take pressure off of Mahomes and the passing game. Mansoor Delane, the No. 6 pick in April’s draft, could make an instant impact at cornerback. And there are some familiar faces returning as well. Eric Bieniemy is here for a second stint as offensive coordinator. L’Jarius Sneed is back in the secondary, bolstering a defense that still has the likes of Chris Jones, George Karlaftis and Nick Bolton.
Kansas City is currently slated for six primetime appearances, including a Thanksgiving night game, this season. Consider this the one-stop guide to all 17 regular-season broadcasts. Make sure you’re following the Chiefs on The Athletic, too. Jesse Newell, a Kansas native, is one of the best on the beat.
All times listed below are ET.
The full 2026 Kansas City Chiefs schedule
| Wk. |
|
Matchup |
Date |
Time |
Network |
| 1 |
|
|
Monday, Sept. 14 |
8:15 p.m. |
ESPN/ABC |
| 2 |
|
|
Sunday, Sept. 20 |
8:20 p.m. |
NBC |
| 3 |
@ |
|
Sunday, Sept. 27 |
1:00 p.m. |
CBS |
| 4 |
@ |
|
Sunday, Oct. 4 |
4:25 p.m. |
CBS |
| 5 |
|
BYE |
|
|
|
| 6 |
|
|
Sunday, Oct. 18 |
4:25 p.m. |
CBS |
| 7 |
@ |
|
Sunday, Oct. 25 |
8:20 p.m. |
NBC |
| 8 |
@ |
|
Sunday, Nov. 1 |
4:25 p.m. |
CBS |
| 9 |
|
|
Sunday, Nov. 8 |
1:00 p.m. |
CBS |
| 10 |
@ |
|
Sunday, Nov. 15 |
1:00 p.m. |
CBS |
| 11 |
|
|
Sunday, Nov. 22 |
1:00 p.m. |
CBS |
| 12 |
@ |
|
Thursday, Nov. 26 |
8:20 p.m. |
NBC |
| 13 |
@ |
|
Thursday, Dec. 3 |
8:15 p.m. |
Prime |
| 14 |
@ |
|
Sunday, Dec. 13 |
4:25 p.m. |
Fox |
| 15 |
|
|
Monday, Dec. 21 |
8:15 p.m. |
ESPN/ABC |
| 16 |
|
|
Sunday, Dec. 27 |
4:25 p.m. |
CBS |
| 17 |
@ |
|
TBA
|
|
|
| 18 |
|
|
TBA
|
|
|
Cable/satellite/streaming base
The most expansive option for live game coverage is a multichannel plan. That includes streamers like Fubo, Sling TV and YouTube TV, or more traditional providers like DirecTV, Dish and Xfinity. We lay out cord-cutting alternatives for each NFL media partner down below, but there’s a certain peace of mind to the consolidation of pay television.
Can Kansas City Chiefs ‘restore the aura’ in the AFC?
Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen
CBS
Main window: Sunday afternoon (in-market fans)
Playoffs: 1 wild-card game, 1 divisional game, AFC Championship Game
Each week, CBS carries games across two Sunday kickoff slots: one at 1 p.m., and another at 4:05 p.m. or the national window at 4:25 p.m. There will be 10 nationwide Sunday doubleheaders this year on CBS. Broadcasts are set by region when there are multiple offerings in a spot.
It’s not a clean split, but CBS is known as the primary home of the AFC. The network’s theme music is a certified slapper.
Its main pregame show, “The NFL Today,” adds recent retirees Russell Wilson and Kyle Long to its studio crew. CBS announcers include Jim Nantz and Ian Eagle, while the color commentary rotation stars JJ Watt.
What you’ll need to watch: A pay TV package, or an indoor TV antenna for free over-the-air viewing. Local CBS games also stream on Paramount+.
Fox
Main window: Sunday afternoon (in-market fans)
Playoffs: 1 wild-card game, 1 divisional game, NFC Championship Game
Like CBS, Fox splits Sunday afternoons between early 1 p.m. action and later 4:05/4:25 p.m. matchups. Its centerpiece is branded as “America’s Game of the Week.” Unlike CBS, Fox has a dancing robot named Cleatus. It’s the nominal network for the NFC as well.
Kevin Burkhardt, Joe Davis and Adam Amin are the lead play-by-play voices. Burkhardt pairs with Tom Brady, while Davis calls games alongside Greg Olsen. Amin is partnered with newcomer Drew Brees, who is fresh off his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction. Some Spanish-language broadcasts are available on Fox Deportes.
What you’ll need to watch: A pay TV package, or an antenna for free over-the-air viewing. Local Fox games also stream on Fox One.
NFL Sunday Ticket and NFL RedZone
Main window: Sunday afternoon (out-of-market fans)
These two are the access points for all non-national matchups that aren’t on regional CBS or Fox.
NFL Sunday Ticket has full games. It’s exclusive to YouTube and YouTube TV. Those without a YouTube TV plan can still get NFL Sunday Ticket as a primetime channel through the standard YouTube app.
RedZone is the whip-around program that jumps around the slate to cover scoring drives. This is the place for Scott Hanson, “the witching hour” and chaotic octobox split screens. It can be added to NFL Sunday Ticket, and it’s included on some high-end pay TV sports plans.
RedZone also lives on NFL+ Premium, which can be bundled with the ESPN Unlimited plan.
What you’ll need to watch: An NFL Sunday Ticket subscription through YouTube TV or the YouTube app; NFL RedZone access through select pay TV packages, ESPN Unlimited or NFL+ Premium.
NBC and Peacock
Main window: Sunday night
Playoffs: 2 wild-card games, 1 divisional game
This is the faithful home of “Sunday Night Football” each weekend. And because everything has to be confusing, the NBC lineup opens with a Wednesday night season premiere. The Chiefs’ Thanksgiving clash with the Buffalo Bills is also under the “Sunday Night Football” brand … on a Thursday night. At least SNF has a consistent 8:20 p.m. start time.
Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth are in the booth, with Melissa Stark reporting from the sidelines. Carrie Underwood sings about waiting all day for Sunday night. NBC’s “Football Night in America” pregame show brings on longtime head coach Mike Tomlin. Telemundo has the telecasts in Spanish.
The network has two extra Saturday offerings for Week 17. One is exclusive to Peacock, and both matchups will be announced later in the season. The same goes for NBC’s Week 18 regular-season finale.
“Sunday Night Football” is subject to flex scheduling — games can be swapped in and out of the window twice between Weeks 5-10 and any time from Weeks 11-17. This allows executives to pick games with greater playoff implications, though it leaves the actual ticket holders in a bind.
What you’ll need to watch: A pay TV package, or an antenna for free over-the-air viewing, or a Peacock account with the live sports plan.
ABC and ESPN
Main window: Monday night
Playoffs: 1 wild-card game, 1 divisional game, Super Bowl LXI
The Disney networks combine to cover 17 “Monday Night Football” games. Ten of those are on both ABC and ESPN — including Kansas City’s two MNF appearances — while the other seven are exclusive to the latter. The oft-maligned “Monday Night Football” doubleheader is now a thing of the past.
MNF kickoffs have 8:15 p.m. starts, and their schedule flexes can happen any time in Weeks 12-17. The two Saturday ABC/ESPN matchups in Week 18 will be set as the postseason picture sharpens.
ESPN is preparing for its first Super Bowl broadcast ever on Feb. 14, 2027. It will be simulcast on ABC.
Joe Buck handles play-by-play for MNF. He’s joined by analyst Troy Aikman, plus the sideline duo of Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge. Spanish-language airings can be found on ESPN Deportes. For 12 regular-season games and the Super Bowl, ESPN2 offers an alternate “ManningCast,” in which Eli and Peyton Manning watch the games with famous fans. Guests have ranged from Bill Belichick to Lil Wayne.
What you’ll need to watch: A pay TV package, or an antenna for ABC, or an ESPN Unlimited account.
Prime Video
Main window: Thursday night
Playoffs: 1 wild-card game
Most weeks begin with “Thursday Night Football,” which kicks off at 8:15 p.m. Those games are behind the Prime paywall, but they’re free over the air in the participants’ home markets. Flex rules around TNF are a bit less hectic, with two allotments between Weeks 13-17.
Thursdays are called by Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit, with Kaylee Hartung on sideline duty. Herbstreit loves dogs; Michaels hates vegetables. Prime has Spanish-language coverage and advanced stat broadcast options within its app. All-time Chiefs great Tony Gonzalez is one of the analysts for pregame, halftime and postgame segments. He’s No. 2 in career receiving yards for the franchise.
What you’ll need to watch: Amazon Prime. TNF is also free on Twitch with a registered account.
NFL Network
The league-owned media outlet is now under ESPN’s purview, thanks to a blockbuster deal that gave the NFL a 10 percent ownership stake in “The Worldwide Leader in Sports.” As of July 30, NFL Network is integrated into the ESPN Unlimited plan. It can also be accessed through NFL+ or NFL+ Premium.
NFL Network has five of the international games, plus a pair of Saturday matchups in Week 16 to be revealed at least two weeks prior to Dec. 26. Those two have 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. kickoffs.
What you’ll need to watch: A pay TV package, or access to NFL+, NFL+ Premium or ESPN Unlimited.
Netflix
Remember when Netflix was shipping DVDs in red envelopes? Now, the streaming behemoth continues to expand its relationship with the NFL. It has five regular-season games in the upcoming season, including two of the three Christmas Day marquees. Like TNF on Prime, these Netflix games are over the air in their respective local markets.
As reported by The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, new Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly has been tapped as Netflix’s top NFL analyst. He and Noah Eagle (son of CBS’ Ian Eagle) are on the call for the Week 1 export at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.
What you’ll need to watch: A Netflix subscription.
With possible late-season flexes in play, watching all 17 regular-season Chiefs games will cost somewhere around $40-$125 per month for in-market fans and $115-$200 per month if you’re out of market. We arrived at that range through average pay TV costs, NFL Sunday Ticket prices and the lowest subscription tiers for Netflix, Peacock and Prime. The total goes down a bit if Twitch is used for “Thursday Night Football.”
Official Chiefs single-game franchise records
(Through the 2025 season)
- Passing yards: Elvis Grbac, 504 in 2000 season
- Rushing yards: Jamaal Charles, 259 in 2009 season
- Receiving yards: Stephone Paige, 309 in 1985 season
- Sacks: Derrick Thomas, 7 in 1990 season (NFL record)
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