Chiefs Playoff Picture: AFC West dominance officially comes to an end with Kansas City on the brink of elimination
The Chiefs’ nine-year run of AFC West dominance came to an end on Sunday night, but they’re not eliminated from playoff contention just yet.
With the Week 14 loss to the Houston Texans, the Kansas City Chiefs’ run of AFC West dominance will officially come to an end. The Chiefs are mathematically eliminated, as they can no longer catch the Denver Broncos, which means there will be a new AFC West winner for the first time in nine seasons. Either the Broncos or the Los Angeles Chargers will take home the AFC West title in 2025.
While the Chiefs aren’t mathematically eliminated from playoff contention just yet, they now face improbable odds with just a 17% chance to reach the playoffs as a wild-card team. It’s going to be an uphill climb for Kansas City, with some help needed along the way to sneak into the postseason. If they were to miss the playoffs, it’d mark the first time since Andy Reid’s second season as head coach (2014) that the team missed out on the postseason.
AFC Playoff Picture heading into NFL Week 15
- Broncos (11-2) – AFC West
- Patriots (11-2) – AFC East
- Jaguars (9-4) – AFC South
- Steelers (7-6) – AFC North
- Bills (9-4) – WC
- Chargers (8-4) – WC (MNF vs. Eagles)
- Texans (8-5) – WC
- Colts (8-5) – In The Hunt
- Ravens (6-7) – In The Hunt
- Chiefs (6-7) – In the Hunt
The Chiefs need a lot of things to go their way in the next four weeks to reach the playoffs in 2025
The first thing the Chiefs need to do to reach the playoffs is to win their final four games of the 2025 NFL season. As crazy as it sounds, that actually might be the part of this that’s most difficult, even with three AFC West opponents and the hapless Tennessee Titans left on their schedule. As Patrick Mahomes has said, this team can beat any team, but also lose to any team.
From there, they need the complete and utter collapse of teams like the Los Angeles Chargers and the Indianapolis Colts. It’s not so improbable when you consider that Colts QB Daniel Jones suffered a torn Achilles in Week 14 and is out for the season. Chargers QB Justin Herbert is playing through a fracture to his left (non-throwing) hand. When you take a look at each team’s schedule down the stretch, it’s no cake walk.
The Colts face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15, the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16, the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 17, and the Houston Texans in Week 18. The Chargers face the Philadelphia Eagles on “Monday Night Football” in Week 14, the Chiefs in Week 15, the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16, the Texans in Week 17, and the Denver Broncos in Week 18.
Asking for eight losses and four victories is a lot, but crazier things have happened in the NFL.
Chiefs’ remaining 2025 NFL season schedule
- Week 15: vs. Chargers
- Week 16: @ Titans
- Week 17: vs. Broncos
- Week 18: @ Raiders
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