Ranking The Chiefs Possible Home Opener Opponents in 2024:

By: Aaron Silcoff

On Thursday, September 5th, the two-time defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs will begin their quest to become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Lombardi Trophies.

The Chiefs will have 8 home games in 2024 with many marquee matchups. Here is my ranking from least to most appealing Chiefs home games to kick off the 2024 campaign in September.

8. Denver Broncos:

I don't care that the Broncos beat the Chiefs last year. The Broncos look like they will be horrible in 2024 after a rocky 2023. I am not the biggest believer in Sean Payton and I do not think Jarrett Stidham is someone you can market for an NFL season opener against Patrick Mahomes.

7. New Orleans Saints:

Tyrann Mathieu making his return to Arrowhead could be a nice storyline, but does that drive enough buzz for a kickoff game? I'd say not. Derek Carr and Dennis Allen are one of the least inspiring quarterback-head coach duos in the league, so I have little to no interest in paying much attention to New Orleans in 2024.

6. Las Vegas Raiders:

The Raiders were the last team to beat the Chiefs in 2023 when they shocked the world by going into Arrowhead on Christmas Day and winning 20-14. Las Vegas has played the Chiefs tough and always makes it a game. Along with that, The Raiders are a major brand that has star talent in Maxx Crosby and Davante Adams that could help sell this matchup, but as fun as Gardner Minshew can be to watch at times, I don't think he's the guy I want to go up against Patrick Mahomes given the options we have.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes have a history of great duals not only in the NFL but going back to their days in college. The Chiefs and Bucs is also a recent Super Bowl matchup that is not so far removed from our memories. Aside from Tom Brady, Tampa Bay does have a good amount of players from their championship squad that dominated Kansas City 31-9 in Super Bowl 55.

4. Los Angeles Chargers:

I would not complain if the NFL decided to start with a bang for the 2024 season. Jim Harbaugh makes his return to pro football with his star QB Justin Herbert to take on the team he was hired to help take down in the AFC West. Mahomes vs Herbert have given us some great matchups since Herbert arrived on the scene in 2020, but, typically, the NFL does not love to give us division battles as the season opener.

3. Baltimore Ravens:

A battle of the last two MVPs in a rematch of last year's AFC title game could be in the cards and would have fans rushing to their TVs. Ultimately, I think the league would prefer to save this matchup for a Sunday or Monday Night primetime game when playoff implications matter a bit more later in the season.

2. Houston Texans:

C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans are ready to compete with the big dogs in the AFC and if you weren't sold yet the addition of All-Pro wideout Stefon Diggs after a trade with the Bills should be put the rest of the conference on notice. Based on the discourse I've seen online, most fans want Chiefs-Texans as the season opener, I once again think the league will want to save this matchup for later in the season as the schedule makers might be more confident in Stroud staying healthy later in the season compared to who I have being Mahomes' opponent on opening night.

1. Cincinnati Bengals:

In my opinion, when healthy, Joe Burrow & Patrick Mahomes are the two best quarterbacks in the NFL (Sorry, Josh Allen fans). Of course, I would love to save this duel for a cold December night closer to the playoffs, but based on his injury history, it is tough to trust Joe Burrow to stay healthy as the Bengals offensive line problems likely will continue in 2024. Burrow makes his return after missing the second half of the 2023 season to take on his rival in Mahomes in a matchup that always turns into a classic with stars like Travis Kelce and Ja'Marr Chase also scheduled to headline this game.