The National Football League has officially announced the 2020 regular-season schedule on Thursday night, awarding the Kansas City Chiefs the privilege to play in the NFL season opener for Week 1 on Thursday, Sept. 10 at 7:20 p.m. against the Houston Texans.
The Chiefs return 20 of their 22 starters from last season’s roster as they prepare to defend their championship title with the goal to return to football’s highest summit and establish a new NFL dynasty as the champions of Super Bowl 55.
Kansas City will begin their ‘Run It Back’ tour from Arrowhead Stadium in a rematch of last year’s AFC Divisional round where Kansas City pulled off one of the fastest and most impressive comebacks to defeat the Texans 51-31 after falling behind 24-0 in the first half.
The NFL has awarded the defending Super Bowl champions five primetime games in total. They will also play the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 28 for Monday Night Football, the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 15 for Thursday Night Football, and the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 22 for Thursday Night Football; these will all be road games for the Chiefs.
Kansas City’s fifth and final primetime matchup will be played at home against the Denver Broncos on Dec. 6 for Sunday Night Football.
For the month of September, the only other game not previously mentioned is Kansas City’s Week 2 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 20.
To kick off the month of October, the Chiefs will welcome the New England Patriots to Arrowhead on Oct. 4, and the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 11, before heading to Buffalo on the 15th. Kansas City will finish their slate of games for the month on the road at Mile High against the Denver Broncos on the 27th.
In November, Kansas City will begin the third quarter of the season squaring off against the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers in back to back weeks from Arrowhead Stadium on the 1st and 8th before heading into their bye week on the 15th.
Afterward, the Chiefs will prepare for their round-two matchup against Vegas on the 22nd.
Finally, in Week 12, the Chiefs will cap off November with arguably the most anticipated matchup on the schedule by heading to Tampa, Florida to take on Tom Brady and the Buccaneers on Nov. 29.
For the month of December, the Chiefs will once again play three of their last five games at home giving them a huge advantage when the playoff picture begins to take shape.
After taking on the Broncos in primetime fashion, the Chiefs head down to South Beach in Miami to play the Dolphins on Dec. 13. Kansas City will remain on the road the following week to play their final and, possibly, the toughest matchup on the schedule, taking on Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints in the Super Dome on Dec. 20.
After playing the Saints, the Chiefs will return home to Arrowhead to play the Atlanta Falcons on 27th and will finish the 2020 season at home against the Chargers on Jan. 3.
According to the team, tickets for the 2020 season will go on sale on Friday, May 8.
The release of the 2020 NFL schedule means we’re one step closer towards the start of the new football season. However, for those wondering, the league plans to play a full 16-game season with little to no complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, contingency plans and safety guidelines are in place for the possible event that the virus doesn’t subside by the fall.
