Chiefs Set to Spend Thanksgiving in Buffalo for Primetime AFC Showdown

The Kansas City Chiefs will travel north to face the Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving, according to multiple reports.

Jan 21, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) greets Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) following the 2024 AFC divisional round game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs will play on Thanksgiving Day for the second consecutive season, according to multiple reports. This year, they'll be on the road for a high-octane AFC matchup.

The Buffalo Bills will host the Chiefs on Thanksgiving night, as reported by NFL insider Jordan Schultz. The game is expected to kick off at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.

The holiday time slot is a departure from the norm for the Chiefs and Bills, who have faced off at 3:25 CT on CBS in each of their last four regular season matchups.

The AFC showdown will be the Thanksgiving finale, reportedly set to follow the Chicago Bears at the Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles at the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day.

Last year, the Chiefs were hosted by the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, where they fell to Dallas, 31-28. That was the first of Kansas City's six consecutive losses to end the season.

As Kansas City's 2026 schedule continues to trickle out ahead of the official announcements set for Thursday night, fans will wait to see if the Chiefs double-dipped on holiday games again this year, as they did in 2025 when they played on both Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Kansas City will begin their season in primetime, hosting the Denver Broncos at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday Night Football in Week 1.

The Chiefs will not be playing an international game in 2026, but no other games have been officially announced as of the publishing of this story.

Along with their usual slate of AFC West foes, the Chiefs will face all four teams in the AFC East and the NFC West in 2026, along with matchups against the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons. Kansas City's strength of schedule varies depending on the methodology used to calculate it, but the NFL certainly appears to have no fear regarding the Chiefs' place on the national stage following their disappointing 6-11 2025 season.

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