Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) throws a pass during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Amy Kontras-Imagn Images

Chiefs' run of consecutive AFC West titles is officially over

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Dec 8, 2025 8:31 AM ET

With the Houston Texans' 20-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night, the Chiefs' playoff hopes are hanging by a thread. Mathematically, they are down to around 16 percent as they sit at 6-7 and are under .500 in December for the first time in more than a decade.

While they can still mathematically make the playoffs, they are going to need to win out and get a lot of help in the form of multiple teams losing multiple games the rest of the way.

The playoffs might still be on the table, but there is one thing that is not.

The AFC West title.

Chiefs' run of consecutive AFC West championships is officially over

Entering this season, the Chiefs had won the AFC West in nine consecutive seasons. Every year for almost a decade, it was pretty much a given that they were going to win the division, and especially after Patrick Mahomes arrived and took over the starting quarterback job.

Sunday's defeat officially ended that streak.

With seven losses, the Chiefs are five games behind the first-place Denver Broncos with only four games to play.

The Chiefs are 6-7 and mathematically eliminated from winning the AFC West, ending their nine-year run atop the division.

Kansas City’s remaining schedule: vs. Chargers, at Titans, vs. Broncos (Christmas), at Raiders. pic.twitter.com/Bqzf2sLq6B
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) December 8, 2025

That means the AFC West is going to be won by somebody other than the Chiefs for the first time since the 2015 season, when the Broncos won it on their way to a Super Bowl championship.

This year's division crown is going to come down to either the Broncos or the Los Angeles Chargers.

The bigger concern for the Chiefs now is whether or not they can do enough to keep their playoff streak (now at 10 years) going for another year. Along with the division championship and playoff streaks, the Chiefs have also made at least the AFC Championship Game in each of the past seven seasons. They have to actually make the playoffs to even have a chance at keeping that streak going. The math is not on their side.

Even if they do win each of their remaining four games (and there is not much evidence this season to suggest they can or will), getting multiple teams to lose multiple games is going to be a challenge. It might be asking for too much.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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