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The Kansas City Chiefs play the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Wild Card Playoffs.
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Introduction
The NFL season is coming to a close and the playoff matchups are almost set. There are still a few teams fighting for their spot in the postseason, but the Kansas City Chiefs have already clinched the AFC West and a first-round bye. So, who do the Chiefs play in the playoffs?
Assuming the Chiefs don’t lose to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 17, they will play the lowest seed remaining in the AFC Divisional Round. If the New England Patriots lose to the Miami Dolphins in Week 17, they will be the Chiefs’ opponent. However, if the Patriots win, they will be the No. 2 seed and earn a first-round bye. In that case, the Chiefs would play either the Pittsburgh Steelers or Baltimore Ravens.
The Chiefs could also potentially play the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round, but that would require a lot of things to go their way. The Texans would need to lose to the Tennessee Titans in Week 17 and then lose again in Wild Card Weekend. The Patriots would also need to win in Week 17 and get a first-round bye. In that scenario, the Chiefs would host the Texans at Arrowhead Stadium.
So, there are a few potential scenarios for who Kansas City could play in their first playoff game. It will all be determined by how Week 17 plays out around the NFL.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ Playoff History
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference (AFC) West division. They were founded in 1960 as the Dallas Texans, an expansion team of the American Football League (AFL). In 1963, the team relocated to Kansas City, Missouri, and were renamed the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have appeared in ten AFL-NFL Super Bowls, winning a total of four (I, IV, L, and LI).
The Chiefs’ First Playoff Appearance
The Kansas City Chiefs made their first playoff appearance in the 1966 season, which was also their first year under head coach Hank Stram. The Chiefs won the Western Conference with a record of 11-2-1, but they lost to the Buffalo Bills in the AFL Championship game.
In 1970, the Chiefs made it back to the playoffs with a 10-3-1 record. They won their first playoff game against the Miami Dolphins, but they lost to the Oakland Raiders in the AFC Championship game.
The Chiefs made the playoffs again in 1971, but they lost to the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Divisional Playoffs.
From 1972 to 1986, the Chiefs did not make it back to the playoffs.
The Chiefs’ Most Recent Playoff Appearance
The Kansas City Chiefs made their most recent playoff appearance in the 2018 AFC Wild Card game, where they lost to the Tennessee Titans 22-21. The Chiefs had previously beaten the Titans in the 2017 AFC Wild Card game, and went on to lose to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game.
Who the Chiefs Could Play in the Playoffs
The Kansas City Chiefs have clinched the AFC West and the number one seed in the AFC. They will have a first-round bye. The Chiefs could play the Texans, Ravens, Bills, or Patriots in the divisional round.
Potential Wild Card Matchups
The Kansas City Chiefs could potentially play any of the following teams in the Wild Card round of the playoffs:
-Houston Texans
-New England Patriots
-Buffalo Bills
-Oakland Raiders
All four of these teams have a chance to win their respective divisions, so it is impossible to say for sure who the Chiefs will play. However, based on current standings, the most likely matchup appears to be against the Houston Texans.
Potential Divisional Round Matchups
There are a number of potential divisional round matchups for the Chiefs, depending on how they fare in their final regular season game against the Los Angeles Chargers and how other teams around the league fare in their final games.
If the Chiefs win against the Chargers, they will clinch the AFC West division title and the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs. They would then play the No. 5 seed, which would either be the Baltimore Ravens or the Los Angeles Chargers, depending on how those teams fare in their final regular season games.
If the Chiefs lose to the Chargers, they would still clinch a playoff spot but would be relegated to a wild card spot and would have to play on the road in the first round of the playoffs. In this scenario, they would likely play either the Ravens or Chargers, depending on how those teams fare in their final regular season games.
The Chiefs could also potentially play teams like the New England Patriots, Houston Texans, or Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round if everything goes right for those teams and wrong for the Chiefs in terms of matchups and seeding.
Potential Conference Championship Matchup
The Kansas City Chiefs could potentially play the New England Patriots in the Conference Championship game.
Conclusion
The Kansas City Chiefs will play the New England Patriots in the playoffs.
