The Kansas City Chiefs have consistently been one of the best teams in the AFC over the past seven years. During that streak, the question at this point of the season hasn't been “Will they make the playoffs?” but “Will they earn home-field advantage?”
Unfortunately for KC, that is not the case this season. The Chiefs sit at 5-4 and would be out of the playoffs if they started today. They may not have added anyone at the trade deadline, but this team still has elite upside. However, their approach coming out of the bye week needs to be different than in previous seasons, and it needs to be 100% focused on the AFC West.
The Chiefs currently find themselves two back in the loss column from multiple AFC teams. The Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, and Denver Broncos are all now 8-2. The Los Angeles Chargers and now 7-3 with a head to head win over KC and despite their loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, the Buffalo Bills are still at 6-3 with a head-to-head win over the Chiefs. Is it possible for the Chiefs to catch up to and pass all of those teams? Sure, but a lot has to happen that is out of Kansas City's control, in addition to the Chiefs cleaning up their own play and finding some consistency.
What the Chiefs have more control over is how the AFC West plays out. While Kansas City has played over half of its regular-season games, they have only played two of its six division games. K.C. still has both of their games left against the division-leading Broncos, a home game against the Los Angeles Chargers, and a road game against the Las Vegas Raiders. If KC can win those four games, they could still give themselves an excellent chance to win the AFC West again and guarantee a playoff spot.
The Chiefs’ playoff hopes are slipping, and the road back starts with a must-win stretch against their AFC West rivals.
It is especially important for KC to sweep the Broncos, starting with their first game after the bye in Denver. The Broncos arguably have an easier remaining schedule compared to the Chiefs and Chargers, so if the Chiefs only break even with them, it will be hard to catch them in the standings. The Chargers’ final seven games include four against teams that currently have winning records, so unless they really get on a roll, they should be easier to make up ground on, especially if the Chiefs get a head-to-head win when they come to KC. The main point to make here is that the number of games that KC has remaining against the Broncos and Chargers are equal to the number of games that they are ahead of KC in the loss column.
The Kansas City Chiefs have won nine consecutive AFC West titles, and it would be a huge accomplishment at this point to extend that streak. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, their slow start has given them zero wiggle room in the AFC West coming out of their bye week. Every division game is a “must-win” from here on out if they want any hope of continuing their run as division champs. Their current nine-year streak is already the second longest in NFL history, and you just know that the Chiefs would love a chance to surpass the New England Patriots’ record-setting 11 consecutive AFC East titles.
Outside their division games against the Broncos and Chargers, the Chiefs only have one other game on their schedule against a team that currently has a winning record—that being the Indianapolis Colts. That will be a real test for K.C., given the Colts’ record and their addition of Sauce Gardner at the trade deadline. However, even if they drop the Colts game, if they win their three games against teams with losing records and sweep the division games, they’ll still have a real chance at the division and the playoffs. That is what Andy Reid and the Chiefs have to be focused on.
The stakes couldn’t be higher for the Chiefs when they go to Denver coming off the bye. The good news is that Andy Reid teams have a history of doing well off the bye, and if that is the case again this year, it will be huge for Kansas City. The game in Denver is the toughest division game left on their schedule, and winning it will set them up for the run they need to turn this season around. Here’s to hoping that they fully understand what is at stake and take care of business.