Jets at Chiefs: 5 storylines to watch for ahead of Week 8

The New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs will continue their 2026 NFL regular season schedules against each other on Sunday when the two teams do battle at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 9.

Like there will be every week, there are plenty of expected headlines that will pop up during the days leading up to this one between the Jets (2-6) and Chiefs (5-2). Some obvious, others not so much.

With that, here are Jets Wire’s five storylines to watch for ahead of Week 9:

Trade deadline drama will continue

With another Jets loss to the Las Vegas Raiders last week, the trade deadline speculation and rumors are not going to stop. The names of running back Breece Hall and wide receiver Garrett Wilson top that list.

The 2026 NFL trade deadline is on Nov. 10 making this the last game for New York before it. As it relates specifically to the Jets facing the Chiefs, the inactive list could be discussed this week. If a deal is nearing, the Jets could keep a player off the field that they plan to trade. Time will tell.

A motivated Chiefs team

This might be the worst time for the Jets to face the Chiefs. New York sorely needs a win, but so does Kansas City. On paper, this looked like it could be a “trap game” for the Chiefs when the schedule came out. Now it’s one the Chiefs will be motivated for because they need to get back in the win column.

The Jets locker room will discuss facing a motivated Chiefs team throughout this week. Kansas City has lost back-to-back outings.

What’s the problem on defense?

New York head coach Aaron Glenn once called being a play caller his “super power.” Early on this season, that appeared to be the case.

Now after letting up 38 points against the Raiders, the opposite is the case and questions about what is being done to fix the defense will be asked. And again, that improvement will have to happen against a motivated Chiefs team.

What Minkah Fitzpatrick said

Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has caught some negative attention nationally this week after his “Jets being Jets” comment after the Raiders loss. Fitzpatrick will be asked to clarify that this week, but others in the locker room might be asked too. Is the locker room fractured or not believing in the process?

Touches on offense

The way touches will happen on the Jets offense against the Chiefs will be worth monitoring and potentially talked about in the coming days.

Wilson wanted more and he got that against Las Vegas. That led to first-round rookie Omar Cooper Jr. getting zero against the Raiders after back-to-back big games.

In addition, Hall might return to the lineup. Is he the No. 1 rusher or has Braelon Allen earned that role?

This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Jets at Chiefs: 5 storylines to watch for ahead of Week 8