Who is the most concerning 6-7 team, the Chiefs, Ravens, or Dolphins?
Joe Rivera and Chris Bumbaca discuss the downfall of the Chiefs and how they haven’t been the same since Tyreek Hill’s departure.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ bid to win a 10th consecutive AFC West title officially came to an end in Week 14. This Sunday, they could be officially eliminated from playoff contention entirely for the first time since 2014, head coach Andy Reid’s second season with the organization.
K.C., which has advanced to the past three Super Bowls and five of the last six, hosts the division rival Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 15, the game set to kick off at 1 p.m. ET. Here’s what’s at stake for a team on life support − for 2025 anyway − even if it might be premature to bury the Chiefs’ dynastic reign.
Can the Chiefs be eliminated Sunday?
The short answer: Yes. Here’s the simplest scenario that ends the postseason aspirations for Kansas City, which enters Sunday with a 6-7 record:
▶ Lose to the Chargers
▶ Bills beat the Patriots
▶ Two teams among the Texans, Colts and/or Jaguars win.
There are other outcomes that involve ties that could lead to the same result, but the above formula is the most straightforward. Among Kansas City’s multiple issues this season are the teams they’ve already lost to: Chargers, Jaguars, Bills, Broncos and Texans − all of them currently above the Chiefs in the overall AFC standings.
When was the last time the Chiefs lost eight games?
Kansas City went 2-14 in 2012, the season before Reid was hired. That was also the organization’s last sub-.500 finish. Going into 2025, Reid had never lost more than seven games in the regular season with this club.
When was the last time the Chiefs missed the AFC championship game?
That would be 2017, QB Patrick Mahomes’ rookie season. He started just once that year, sitting for most of it behind veteran Alex Smith. Kansas City lost in the wild-card round that season to the Tennessee Titans, who were led at the time by QB Marcus Mariota and RB Derrick Henry − and managed to engineer a 22-21 upset at Arrowhead.
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