Will the Chiefs beat the Rams in their Aug 15 preseason opener?

The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 20-12 in both teams' 2026 preseason opener, played Aug. 15 at Arrowhead Stadium. Rookie quarterback Ty Simpson rallied Los Angeles in the second half, throwing two touchdown passes to running back Dean Connors, the first putting the Rams ahead 13-9 early in the fourth quarter and the second extending the margin to the final 20-12 score. Kansas City's only points came on four Harrison Butker field goals as the offense stalled in the red zone.

The result largely reflects preseason personnel usage. Chiefs starter Patrick Mahomes, still working back from a torn ACL and LCL suffered in 2025, sat out as a precaution; backup Justin Fields played only the first quarter before rookie Garrett Nussmeier took over for the rest of the game. With most first-team starters on both sides held out or limited, backups decided the outcome.

Predict Six's community leaned correctly on this question, with only 17% of votes predicting a Chiefs win, and the market resolved no as the Rams pulled away in the fourth quarter.