With their 22-16 victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football, the Kansas City Chiefs have assured themselves a berth in the 2020 postseason.
It was possible that a victory in Sunday night’s game would also have cemented the team’s fifth-straight AFC West championship, but the Chiefs would have needed a loss by the Las Vegas Raiders to lock up the division.
Despite suffering a 35-9 loss to Kansas City five weeks ago, the New York Jets did their very best to help, getting out to a 28-24 lead over the Raiders with just over three minutes remaining in their Sunday afternoon matchup. But with just seconds remaining, Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr hit rookie wide receiver Henry Ruggs III with a 46-yard touchdown pass to grab a 31-28 win.
So the AFC West crown — and the guaranteed postseason home game that comes with it — will have to wait at least another week.
But let’s not dismiss what clinching another playoff berth means.
Andy Reid’s Chiefs since 2013
Head coach Andy Reid has now made the playoffs in seven of his eight seasons in Kansas City — and now for six consecutive years. That equals the franchise record for consecutive playoff appearances set under Marty Schottenheimer from 1990 through 1995.
Furthermore, during his first eight seasons in Kansas City, Schottenheimer made the playoffs in only those six years. During those seasons, the Chiefs were 3-6 in the playoffs. In contrast, Reid is already 5-5 (with a Super Bowl victory). He’ll finish the postseason with a record no worse than 4-5, but might complete it with a record as good as 9-5 — and another Lombardi Trophy.
Maybe you already got this memo, but Chiefs fans are living in historic times. Let’s enjoy each moment of them.
