In what’s become the NFL’s most predictable tradition, the Kansas City Chiefs clinched their ninth straight AFC West title on Sunday with a 19-17 win on Sunday Night Football over their rivals in the AFC West, the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Bolts, clearly desperate after years of being Patrick Mahomes’ punching bag, tried a bold new strategy this offseason: hiring Jim Harbaugh. The plan looked good on paper. Harbaugh was fresh off of a national championship and had already proven himself as a successful NFL head coach. Besides, anything had to be better than the Brandon Staley era, right?
Back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back‼️ pic.twitter.com/OuaPQeKOEA
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 9, 2024
Spoiler alert: it didn’t work. The Chargers went 0-2 against the Chiefs this season and the Chiefs are now knocking on the door of a complete decade of dominance in their division—an incredible achievement of sustained success in today's NFL known for parity.
Harbaugh, to his credit, has the Chargers in a good place in his first season. Good teams take care of business against lesser opponents, and the Bolts have won all eight games against clearly lesser opponents on their schedule. Their losses have come against each of the more talented teams on the slate: the Chiefs, Steelers, Ravens, and Cardinals.
As for the Chiefs' divisional win, it's the ninth straight AFC West title and that's not something that should be lost on Chiefs Kingdom (although it will be for most newer fans who have no idea how tough it's been some years to even compete for a division title). Then again, maybe it is just the new normal when you have Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and company.
We're pretty sure it feels normal for Chargers fans.