The Kansas City Chiefs can't be thrilled with the league's latest two blockbuster trades, both coming for teams slated to face KC late in the 2026 season. The Los Angeles Rams are obviously the biggest headline making a Super Bowl push by acquiring Myles Garrett just a season after the pass rusher set the single-season sack record with the Cleveland Browns. The Rams will take on the Chiefs on December 3rd, setting up a great test for the offensive line.
Second-year left tackle Josh Simmons and whoever wins the battle on the right side between Jaylon Moore and Esa Pole will be dealing with the most talented pass rush they will face the entire season. Garrett is a force himself and joining a Los Angeles roster already capable of rushing the quarterback, and could be getting another addition soon with the speculated return of Aaron Donald.
The second blockbuster deal just before the Garrett trade was the defending AFC champion New England Patriots, adding star receiver A.J. Brown. While Brown can be a problem off the field, there is no denying the immense talent of the Super Bowl champ. The New England offense just grew a lot more talented if they are able to keep Brown content and focused on the season ahead.
Chiefs 2026 schedule just grew more difficult after latest blockbuster deals
The Chiefs will get the advantage of hosting the Patriots in Arrowhead late in the season, with New England scheduled to come to town on December 21st. This is a matchup likely to have a lot of playoff seeding implications as both teams are expected to be vying for the top seed in the conference. This makes it clear that Steve Spagnuolo's new-look secondary needs to have things figured out long before this matchup.
Kansas City's toughest slate of the season, which includes the Bills, Rams, Bengals, and Patriots, somehow just managed to grow even harder after these deals. It's going to test two points of questionable depth for the Chiefs in their offensive line and a secondary that is far from battle-tested.
While this could be viewed with a sense of frustration, it could serve as an advantage, allowing KC to simulate playoff-level intensity ahead of what fans expect to be a deep January run. Every season that Patrick Mahomes has been healthy has provided KC with a floor of playing in the AFC Championship. There isn't any reason to believe that this is going to change despite the undeniably difficult road that now lies ahead.
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