The Reality the Chiefs Are Living In

Tyler Sullivan is a sports writer for CBS Sports, and he wrote an article overreacting to the events of Week 11. One of the things he found wasn't an overreaction was that the Chiefs aren't going to win the AFC West after holding down their division for a decade.

"Kansas City's bid for 10-straight AFC West titles is on life support. With Sunday's loss to the Broncos, the Chiefs not only dropped back down to .500 on the season at 5-5, but Denver has extended its lead in the division by a sizable amount. At 9-2, they are two games up on the Chargers and three games up over K.C. in the loss column", said Sullivan.

The only way the Chiefs have any chance at winning their division is if the Broncos have a historic collapse, which shows how badly this season has gone for them. Their destiny isn't in their hands, and they have to win out if they want any chance of sneaking into the postseason, much less their division.

"That's not even accounting for the current head-to-head tiebreaker advantage they earned in Week 11. The road doesn't get easier for the Chiefs either, as they'll now have to host a Colts team that'll be fresh off its bye week before turning around and visiting the Cowboys on Thanksgiving".

The Dallas Cowboys looked impressive against the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Colts have more than enough talent to drop the Chiefs to 5 - 6. I hesitate to say the Chiefs' dynasty is over, but this is a buffer year for sure.

Even if they do sneak into the playoffs, has this team shown anything in 2025 to give them the benefit of the doubt? Historically, they lock in once they hit the postseason, but if this season has shown us anything, these are not the same old Chiefs.