Who do the Chiefs play next? Kansas City's divisional schedule explained

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Wildcard round and are now through to the Divisional round of the playoffs. Their opponent will be dependent on the result of the final AFC wildcard game between the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers. That game was originally scheduled to be held on Sunday but inclement weather means it will now be played on Monday.

Kansas City Chiefs to face either Buffalo Bills or Houston Texans in Divisional round

In the first game of the Wildcard round, the Houston Texans routed the Cleveland Browns 45-14. The Texans are the fourth seed in the AFC, having won the AFC South. The Kansas City Chiefs are the third seed after winning the AFC West.

In the Divisional round, the Baltimore Ravens will be in the picture as well as the first seed from the conference and they will play the lowest-ranked team. Since Houston is ranked below Kansas City, the Ravens will not face the Chiefs.

That leaves us with two possibilities for Patrick Mahomes and company. If the seventh-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Buffalo Bills on the road, then C.J. Stroud will visit Kansas City in the Divisional Round, while Mike Tomlin will face off against John Harbaugh in Baltimore.

If Josh Allen can lead the Bills to a win over the Steelers, then all the top four seeds will make it to the Divisional round. In that case, Kansas City will have to travel to Buffalo in the next game as the Texans make the trip to Baltimore. See all the combinations on Sportskeeda's Playoff Predictor.

Keep every NFL play in your sights. Check out our NFL Schedule page and get all the match-up details, score updates, and exciting news as it happens!

Patrick Mahomes could still play the AFC Championship at home

Since 2018, when Patrick Mahomes was crowned the league MVP for the first time, the Kansas City Chiefs have always made the AFC Championship game and played them all at home. That has happened even when they have not been the top seed in the conference as other results have gone their way.

In 2019, for example, the Ravens were the top seed, but were eliminated by the Tennessee Titans. That year the Chiefs went on to win the Super Bowl. In 2021, the Tennessee Titans were the first seed but were eliminated by the Cincinnati Bengals. However, Joe Burrow defeated Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City in the AFC Championship game.

This year, if the Chiefs or the Steelers can knock out the Bills and Baltimore is eliminated in the next round, then Kansas City could host the AFC Championship in Arrowhead once again.