Chiefs Fail to Reach NFL Division Titles Record as Historic AFC West Streak Snapped

The Kansas City Chiefs' reign over the AFC West has come to an end.

For the first time since 2015, the Chiefs did not win their division. Sunday's loss to the Houston Texans took Kansas City out of contention for the AFC West crown.

The division title will instead go to either the Denver Broncos (11-2) or Los Angeles Chargers (8-4).

Kansas City had previously won nine consecutive division titles, which was the second-longest streak in NFL history behind the New England Patriots, who won 11 consecutive titles from 2009 to 2019.

The Chiefs have been dominant over the last decade, but they've also had the advantage of playing in a relatively weak division. The Las Vegas Raiders have only had two playoff appearances in the last decade, the Los Angeles Chargers have had just three and the Broncos have only had one.

Now, the AFC West isn't the cake walk it once was.

After going 10-7 and reaching the playoffs a season ago, the Broncos have been dominant this season thanks to a strong offense led by a second-year quarterback Bo Nix and a shutdown defense that smothers opponents every week.

The Chargers have also proved to be a worthy competitor in the AFC West, reaching the playoffs a year ago and looking even better in Jim Harbaugh's second year at the helm.

While the Broncos and Chargers have reached the Chiefs' level in recent years, the Las Vegas Raiders are still a step below those three squads.

Now that the division crown is out of reach for the Chiefs, Kansas City will look to avoid missing the playoffs completely. At 6-7, the playoffs are still within reach for the Chiefs, but they'll have to be nearly perfect and get some external help to close out the season.