Chiefs aren’t only AFC favorite treading water (plus what else to watch vs. Colts)
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chiefs sit 5-5 and risk missing playoffs after nine straight division titles.
- Bills and Ravens hold better playoff positions; Chiefs fall to No.9 seed now.
- Special teams weakness worries Chiefs; Colts rank second in overall strength.
The Chiefs have some company in their underachieving season.
Of the AFC teams with the three best records of the 2020s — the Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens — only the Bills would be in the playoffs if the 2025 season ended today.
In the seven-team playoff bracket, the Chiefs (5-5) are the No. 9 seed entering Sunday’s home game against the AFC South-leading Indianapolis Colts.
The Ravens (5-5), who take on the New York Jets this weekend, are No. 10. The Bills (7-4) hold the No. 6 seed, the second wild card team, after Thursday’s loss at the Houston Texans.
All were projected to be playoff teams, and the New York Times/The Athletic playoff simulator has the Bills and Ravens making the postseason ... with the Chiefs on the outside looking in.
The Chiefs would fall short of a historical streak if they miss the playoffs. They’ve appeared in the NFL postseason for 10 straight seasons. Only the New England Patriots’ streak of 11 AFC East titles (2009-19) — broken by the Bills — is longer.
KC’s run of division titles appears over. Kansas City has finished first in the AFC West for an amazing nine straight years. But last weekend’s loss at Denver puts the Chiefs 3 1/2 games behind the Broncos with seven remaining.
Reaching the playoffs is the focus in the Chiefs’ locker room.
“This is unchartered territory for us,” assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Dave Toub said. “We have high expectations still...We just have to make plays. We’re not making plays like last year.”
Division supremacy and playoff streaks helped launch the Chiefs to seven straight AFC Championship Game appearances, five Super Bowls and three Vince Lombardi Trophies.
Superstar Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes believes a championship pedigree can kick in.
“We have a lot of great dudes in this locker room, and you can see that their mindset and the way that they’re walking around the building this week is that they’re pushing themselves to be even better, knowing that we’re this close,” Mahomes said. “We get to write the rest of the story so let’s go out there and do it.”
Also on the line Sunday: Mahomes has never lost three straight regular-season starts.
Here’s more to watch Sunday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium:
Chiefs player to watch: DT Mike Pennel
The Chiefs will need all of Pennel’s run-stopping talent as they take on the NFL’s top rusher, Jonathan Taylor.
This will be Pennel’s third game since rejoining the Chiefs this season, and he’s already lined up against Buffalo’s James Cook, who became the first running back to surpass 100 rushing yards against the Chiefs since 2023.
Pennel, who has averaged 19.5 snaps in two games as part of the tackle rotation, could see more playing time against the Colts.
“Where (Taylor) is really scary is when he pops or gets to the second level,” Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said. “We all know what kind of speed he has.”
Colts player to watch: TE Tyler Warren
Warren is coming off his best performance in an excellent rookie season: eight receptions for 99 yards in an overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
Warren, the No. 14 overall selection from Penn State, is having an Offensive Rookie of the Year type season. He’s on pace for 85 receptions and 1,049 yards.
The last time the Chiefs played against a solid tight end, they got burned. Dalton Kincaid of the Bills caught six passes for 101 yards and a touchdown three weeks ago.
Special teams: Colts WR Anthony Gould
According to Toub, the Chiefs rank special teams units. And according to their research, the Colts rate second in the NFL in overall strength.
The Chiefs, Toub said, rank 22nd. That mark to take a dip after last week’s game, when the Chiefs allowed a 70-yard punt return and blocked extra point and had a kickoff fall shot of the landing zone.
As for the Colts, Gould returns both kicks (averaging 26.6 yards) and punts (9.7 yards). Interestingly, Indy has the fewest punts (19) in the NFL. The Chiefs the next fewest (26).
This story was originally published November 21, 2025 at 6:30 AM.