The Kansas City Chiefs are flying high! They're 5-0 after the first six weeks of the season and they've found ways to win even when they haven't played their best ball.
A 5-0 start is nothing new for the Chiefs, who have found themselves in this position five times before in franchise history. People probably see that number and assume many of those happened in the Patrick Mahomes era but that actually isn't the case. It's happened four times during the Mahomes era with one of those coming when he was a rookie and not starting.
With a 5-0 record under their belts, it's time to hop in the time machine and see how the previous Chiefs teams to start 5-0 finished their seasons. We'll start with the most recent instance and work our way back.
2024 Chiefs blown out in Super Bowl 59
The most recent time the Chiefs went 5-0 came two years ago. K.C. was coming off back-to-back Super Bowl championships and were going for the coveted Super Bowl three-peat, something that had not been done in NFL history.
The Chiefs got off to a great start toward accomplishing that feat, rattling off nine straight wins and notching the team's third 9-0 start in franchise history. It felt like a three-peat was very much a possibility and Chiefs fans were dreaming big when the team clinched the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and reached the AFC Championship game once again.
While the Chiefs fought off the Bills and reached their third straight Super Bowl, it ultimately did not end well for them. The offensive line woes that had plagued the team all season reared its ugly head in the worst possible way, as the Eagles pass rush teed off against them all evening long.
Think this was a disappointing end? Wait until you hear that this was the only time the Chiefs reached the Super Bowl after a 5-0 start. Let's continue on.
2018 Chiefs reached AFC Championship for first time in 25 years
The most recent time the Chiefs went 5-0 was during Mahomes' first year as a starting quarterback. While Chiefs fans wanted to believe they finally drafted a franchise signal-caller, no one really knew what Mahomes was going to look like as a starter until he took the field and got playing time.
It was pretty clear during that 5-0 run that the Chiefs had something special in their first-round pick out of Texas Tech. Kansas City's offense was on fire that entire season but especially so during that undefeated run. They scored 38 points on the Chargers, 42 on the Steelers, 38 on the 49ers, 27 on the Broncos, and 30 on the Jaguars before suffering their first defeat to the Patriots. K.C. did put up 40 points in the loss though.
Mahomes ended the 2018 regular season by throwing for 5,097 yards, 50 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while rushing for 272 yards and two more scores with his legs. He was named NFL MVP, becoming the first Chief to win the award, and led Kansas City to the No. 1 playoff seed and its first AFC Championship appearance in 25 years.
Sadly, the Chiefs came up just short of reaching the Super Bowl, falling to the Patriots in the AFC title game. But it was a special season nonetheless and gave Chiefs fans a great feeling of knowing they had their franchise quarterback once and for all.
2017 Chiefs were one-and-done in the playoffs once again
The Chiefs also went undefeated through their first five games during Mahomes' rookie season but, as many probably remember, he wasn't the starting quarterback then. Alex Smith was on an absolute heater in what ultimately became his final season with the Chiefs, coming out of the gates red hot and ensuring that Mahomes remained on the bench for as long as possible.
While the Chiefs did ultimately cool off at the midway part of the season, Smith remained the starter (and those calls for Mahomes were LOUD) but K.C. finished 10-6 on the year. They still won the weak AFC West but had to play on wild card weekend, hosting Tennessee.
That was another typical disappointing playoff appearance for the Chiefs during that time. They built a strong lead heading into halftime but couldn't close it out. And yes, this was the infamous Marcus Mariota touchdown pass to himself game. It was also Smith's final game as the quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, as he was traded to Washington not long after.
2013 Chiefs imploded in embarrassing fashion
The Chiefs started 5-0 in the first year of the Andy Reid era and ultimately went 9-0 before suffering their first defeat of the season. It was a wild time for Chiefs fans, who, just one year prior, saw the team win just two games and stumble its way to the number one pick.
The first few months of the 2013 season under Reid and Smith were magical, but as in 2017, things cooled off considerably as the season progressed, especially against tougher competition. After winning their first nine games, most against uninspiring opponents and backup quarterbacks, the Chiefs hit a wall, dropping three straight to division rivals (twice to the Broncos and once to the Chargers). They also lost their final two games of the season to the Colts and Chargers. K.C. definitely benefitted from an easy schedule that year.
While the Chiefs faltered down the stretch, they still qualified for the playoffs, earning the fifth seed and getting to play the AFC South winners in Indianapolis. It started off on a great note, with the Chiefs leading 38-10 in the third quarter. Unfortunately, that's where the fun stopped. K.C. went on to blow that lead, increasing their playoff win drought to 20 years.
2003 Chiefs lost infamous "No Punt" game
The first time that Kansas City started off 5-0 came in 2003 when Dick Vermeil was the head coach and Trent Green was the quarterback. The Chiefs roared off to a 9-0 start and absolutely torched teams offensively, scoring at least 20 points in all but two of those wins.
- Green was amazing, throwing for 4,039 yards, 24 touchdowns and 12 picks. His offensive line was one of the best ever too, opening things up for him in a big way.
- Star running back Priest Holmes put up video game-like numbers, rushing for 1,420 yards and 27 touchdowns and tallying 2,110 yards from scrimmage.
- Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez led the team with 916 yards and 10 touchdowns.
By the end of the season, the Chiefs had lost just three games and their offense had opponents downright terrified. And for good reason too! They proved they could score from anywhere on the field and earned the No. 2 seed in the playoffs for their efforts.
As we know though, defense wins championships and the Chiefs did not have a good defense that season. It cost them dearly.
Peyton Manning and the Colts came to Arrowhead in the divisional round and both teams traded blows throughout. There wasn't a single punt in the game, one that Indy ultimately won. The Chiefs' playoff win drought continued even in the year Chiefs fans thought for sure a trip to at least the AFC Championship game was a sure thing.
So, interestingly enough, the Chiefs have never gone on to win a Super Bowl in the years they've started 5-0. They reached it once, made the AFC title game twice, and were bounced early in the playoffs the other times.
That's probably not the news that the Kingdom wants to hear after the team's 5-0 start in 2026, but the good news is that the season is still young and this team has shown early on they know how to win tight and ugly games. It's time to reverse the curse!
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