The Kansas City Chiefs know most of their 2017 opponents even though the NFL schedule has yet to be released. The Chiefs may not know the dates and times of their opponents or the order of the games but they do know 14 of their 16 opponents.
The NFL schedule is formulaic. The Chiefs know six of their games will come from playing their three AFC West opponents twice. The Chiefs play a rotating AFC and NFC division each year which makes up eight more games. This year it’s the AFC East and the NFC East. Then the Chiefs also play the AFC teams who finished in the same spot in the division as them.
These are the Chiefs 2017 opponents (note that this is unofficial until the Chiefs confirm so):
Home: Broncos, Raiders, Chargers, Bills, Dolphins, Eagles, Redskins, AFC North
Away: Broncos, Raiders, Chargers, Patriots, Jets, Cowboys, Giants, AFC South
If the Chiefs finish in first place in the AFC West, they’ll play the Steelers (AFC North) and Texans (AFC South) at home. The Steelers and Texans are in first place in their division.
If the Chiefs finish in second place in the AFC West, they’ll play the Ravens (AFC North) and Titans (AFC South) on the road. The Ravens and Titans are in second place in their division.
As for the schedule, it looks harder right now. The harder games are on the road - Patriots, Cowboys and Giants. It looks like the Chiefs could have as many as three playoff teams at home and five playoff teams on the road if they’re playing a first place schedule.
Note that this is close to Andy Reid’s first season in Kansas City, which was four years ago.