KC Chiefs clinch 8th consecutive AFC West title with win over Bengals

With their 25-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday in Week 17, the Kansas City Chiefs have officially claimed another title in the AFC West—their eighth consecutive season atop the division.

When Andy Reid arrived in Kansas City, it signaled an immediate turnaround in the way things were going to work for the Chiefs. For his first three seasons, the Chiefs not only enjoyed a winning record and regular postseason appearances but they finished second in the AFC West to finally rise up out of the AFC West basement.

No one had any idea what would happen next.

After the miserable years preceding Reid's arrival, it felt good to even see the Chiefs flirt with double-digit wins, but starting in 2016, Reid helped the Chiefs take things to a new level with his first AFC West title. That was the beginning of an incredible eight consecutive seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs at the top of the division.

This year has been a greater challenge than expected for the Chiefs but that's not really due to the internal level of competition in the division. In fact, things seem like they could belong to K.C. for the next couple of years at least. The L.A. Chargers are undergoing a complete leadership overhaul. The L.A. Raiders are facing the same questions and need a new quarterback. The Denver Broncos have Sean Payton as head coach but no cap room or top picks and they need a new QB as well.

Two of the Chiefs' first three division titles in this current streak featured a tie atop the standings with K.C. owning the tie-breaker. Since then, however, the Chiefs have never even had a team within a single game in the last five years coming into 2023. At present, the Chiefs have a two-game lead on the Denver Broncos, who are in second place coming into Week 17.

The Chiefs are currently 10-6 and have the chance to win an 11th game to close out the year against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 18.