During practice prior to the Chiefs' Week 6 game against the Buffalo Bills, Schwartz injured his back. Despite the injury, he still played. For only the second time in his career, however, he came out of the game, after aggravating the injury. On October 23, the Chiefs announced he would miss their Week 7 game against the Denver Broncos. It was the first time in his career that he missed a game. He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Chiefs on November 16, 2020, and activated three days later. He was placed on injured reserve on November 21, 2020. He underwent surgery to repair his back injury on February 24, 2021.
