If you’re waking up this morning, grabbing your favorite red jersey, and looking for what time does the kansas city chiefs play on sunday, I have some pretty jarring news. Honestly, it’s the kind of news that feels like a glitch in the Matrix for anyone who has followed football over the last decade.
For the first time since 2014, the Kansas City Chiefs are not playing. Not today. Not next week. Not at all.
The 2025-26 NFL postseason is officially underway with the Divisional Round, but the reigning dynasty is watching from their couches. It sounds fake. It feels wrong. But after a regular season that can only be described as a slow-motion car crash, Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are out of the hunt.
What Time Does the Kansas City Chiefs Play on Sunday? (The Short Answer)
Basically, they don't. The kansas city chiefs play on sunday is a search query hitting a dead end because the team finished the 2025 season with a 6-11 record. They didn't just miss the division title; they missed the entire playoff bracket.
Instead of a sea of red at Arrowhead, the NFL schedule for Sunday, January 18, 2026, looks like this:
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- Houston Texans at New England Patriots: 3:00 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC)
- Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears: 6:30 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
If you were hoping to see Mahomes magic today, you're better off booting up Madden or watching old highlights of the 2024 Super Bowl run. The AFC is currently being run by the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots, who have filled the vacuum left by Kansas City's collapse.
How Did We Get Here?
It’s crazy to think about. You've got a team that was chasing a "three-peat" and ended up at the bottom of the AFC West. Most experts, including the folks over at Sports Illustrated and ESPN, expected the Chiefs to at least limp into a Wild Card spot.
Things started spiraling early. They opened the season with a loss to the Chargers in Brazil and never really found their footing. But the absolute dagger came in Week 15. During a late-game drive against those same Chargers, Patrick Mahomes went down with a season-ending ACL tear.
You can’t just replace the best player in the world.
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When backup Gardner Minshew also went down a week later, the team was forced to start Chris Oladokun. They lost their final four games. It was a brutal, unceremonious end to a season that started with so much hope. Seeing "3rd in AFC West" next to their name in the standings still doesn't look real.
The Playoff Teams Everyone is Watching Today
Since the Chiefs aren't on the field, the narrative has shifted to the "new guard."
The Denver Broncos, led by a revitalized defense, secured the #1 seed in the AFC with a 14-3 record. They played their Divisional game yesterday against the Buffalo Bills. Today, the focus is on Foxborough and Chicago.
The Patriots hosting the Texans is particularly interesting. It’s a matchup of two young quarterbacks trying to prove they can be the next "Mahomes-level" face of the league. Meanwhile, the NFC is seeing a massive resurgence in Chicago. Seeing the Bears host a Divisional game on a Sunday night at Soldier Field is the kind of stuff old-school fans live for.
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Why This Matters for 2026
You might be asking why a powerhouse like Kansas City fell so hard. It wasn't just the Mahomes injury. The roster was aging in key spots. Travis Kelce, while still a legend, finally started showing the wear and tear of a 13-year career. The defense, which carried them through much of 2024, couldn't mask an offense that led the league in dropped passes for the second year in a row.
The front office already started making moves. They traded Joe Thuney to the Bears for a 4th-round pick in the 2026 draft. They’re clearly looking to get younger and cheaper.
Actionable Steps for Chiefs Fans Today
Since you can't watch the game, here is how you should actually handle this Sunday:
- Check the 2026 Draft Order: The Chiefs' 6-11 record gives them a top-10 pick. Start looking at scouting reports for offensive tackles and wide receivers. They need protection for Mahomes' return.
- Watch the Texans-Patriots Game: This is the future of the AFC. If the Chiefs want to get back to the top, one of these two teams will likely be the hurdle they have to clear next January.
- Monitor Mahomes’ Rehab: The good news? Reports out of Kansas City suggest his surgery was successful and he’s already ahead of schedule for training camp.
The dynasty isn't necessarily dead, but it’s definitely on hiatus. For now, enjoy the playoffs as a neutral observer. It’s a lot less stressful when your heart rate isn't tied to every Mahomes scramble.