The Kansas City Chiefs are back in the win column after blowing out the New York Jets in Week 9. The team desperately needed a game like this after dropping back-to-back games and losing their lead in the AFC West.
While the Chiefs are still behind in the division due to the Broncos' narrow victory over the Panthers, the good news is that they'd still be in the playoffs if the postseason began today. Now that we're officially at the halfway point of the season, focusing on the playoff picture each week makes perfect sense.
The Chiefs didn't make the playoffs last year, marking the first time they had missed out on the postseason during the Patrick Mahomes era. It was only the second time they didn't make it under Andy Reid. The Chiefs have also never been to the playoffs as a wild-card team with Mahomes as their quarterback, but did so with Reid as the head coach in 2013 and 2015.
What does this week's updated playoff picture look like?
The AFC playoff picture after Week 9
1. Buffalo Bills (1st in AFC East) - 7-1
2. Denver Broncos (1st in AFC West) - 7-2
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (1st in AFC South) - 6-2
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (1st in AFC North) - 6-2
5. Kansas City Chiefs (2nd in AFC West) - 6-2
6. Cincinnati Bengals (2nd in AFC North) - 6-2
7. New England Patriots (2nd in AFC East) - 5-4
8. Cleveland Browns (3rd in AFC North) - 5-4
9. Las Vegas Raiders (3rd in AFC West) - 4-5
10. Baltimore Ravens (4th in AFC North) - 4-5
11. Houston Texans (2nd in AFC South) - 3-5
12. New York Jets (3rd in AFC East) - 2-7
13. Indianapolis Colts (3rd in AFC South) - 2-7
14. Miami Dolphins (4th in AFC East) - 1-7
15. Tennessee Titans (4th in AFC South) - 1-7
16. Los Angeles Chargers (4th in AFC West) - 0-8
If the season ended this week, the Chiefs would be the No. 5 seed in the playoffs, meaning they'd travel to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers. Truthfully, that wouldn't be a bad deal for them, all things considered.
Meanwhile, the Bengals would play the Jaguars in Jacksonville, the Patriots would travel to Denver for a date with the Broncos, and the Bills would have the bye.
AFC West outlook after Week 9
The Chiefs are only one win behind the Broncos in the division, and that's only because Denver has yet to have its bye week. That'll change in Week 10, with the Broncos going on their bye and then returning in Week 11 to play the Raiders and Steelers in back-to-back weeks.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs play the Falcons on the road next week and then host the Cardinals. If they can win both of those games, the pressure will continue to be on Denver to hold serve in the division.
As of this writing, DraftKings has the odds for Denver winning the AFC West at -140 and the Chiefs' odds at +120, so the Broncos aren't massive favorites by any means. Still, the Chiefs have a lot of work to do if they want to ensure they get to host at least one playoff game in January. Otherwise, the Chiefs could face an entirely road-based playoff run for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era.
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