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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- In the spirit of doing things way too early, we’ll make a prediction for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2016 based on their schedule. We already know their opponents and where those games will be played. Dates and times for those games will be assigned by the NFL in the spring. The Chiefs will have their usual home-and-home games against their AFC West rivals, the Broncos, the Raiders and the Chargers. They went 5-1 against this group in 2015. They’ll have six other games against AFC teams: on the road against Houston, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh, and at Arrowhead Stadium against Jacksonville, Tennessee and the New York Jets. The Chiefs will also play four games against the teams from the NFC South: at Atlanta and Carolina, and at home against New Orleans and Tampa Bay. Based on what we think we know right now, here goes: Record against the AFC West: 4-2 -- If not for a late fourth-quarter collapse against the Broncos on Sept. 17 last season, the Chiefs would have had a sweep of their divisional opponents, for them a rare feat. This time, we’ll give the Chiefs another split with the Broncos with each team winning on its home field, unlike last year’s rivalry. Based on the two difficult games they had with the improving Raiders last year, we’ll give the Chiefs a split in those contests, as well. We’ll also give the Chiefs a sweep of the Chargers, who look like they’ve assumed Oakland’s place as the division’s bottom-feeder, for the third season in a row.  Record against other AFC teams: 4-2 -- The Chiefs owned the Texans in both of their games in Houston last season. We’re going to assume that happens again next season, if maybe in closer fashion. The other two road games are more problematic, assuming the Chiefs go up against quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers and Andrew Luck of the Colts. We’ll give them losses in each of those games. But from this vantage point, at least, the Chiefs will sweep the three home opponents.
Record against the NFC: 2-2 -- We’ll give the Chiefs a loss at the defending NFC champion Panthers and at the Falcons, as well. But the Chiefs will beat the Bucs and the Saints at home. Finish -- 10-6.
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