Chiefs’ success has strong correlation to their opening third-quarter drives
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chiefs began 11 straight games kicking off and started the third quarter with possession.
- Chiefs scored touchdowns on five opening third-quarter drives and won all five games.
- When opening 3rd-quarter drives fail, Chiefs went 1-5, linking drive success to outcomes.
Here is a weird little streak the Chiefs are on: They’ve kicked off to start the game 11 straight times.
The Chiefs almost always defer to the second half when winning the opening coin toss, so they get the ball to start the third quarter. However, they haven’t won the toss in 11 straight games. Twice in that stretch, the opposing team chose to receive the game’s opening kickoff.
But those 11 games have provided the Chiefs with an opportunity to make a splash to open the second half. In five of those games, the Chiefs scored a touchdown on their first drive of the third quarter.
Perhaps not so coincidentally, they won all five of those games.
In five other games, they have failed to pick up a first down, punting four times and once losing the ball on downs without picking up a first down. In the other game, an interception ended the Chiefs’ first drive of the second half.
The Chiefs’ record in those contests is 1-5 with the lone win being the double-digit fourth-quarter comeback against the Colts last month.
In the Chiefs’ other loss this season, they scored a touchdown to start the second half, but the Chargers had received the kickoff to open the third quarter after winning the pregame coin toss. That was the season opener in Brazil.
While there are many factors that go into winning and losing a football game, there has been a strong correlation between the Chiefs’ success on the opening drive of the second half and the game outcome.
Here is a look at those Chiefs’ first drives of the second half this season, and in each of their last 11 games, they have started the third quarter with the ball.
| Opponent | Coin toss | First 3Q drive | Drive result | Final score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Won | 3 plays, 5 yds | Punt | L, 31-28 |
| Colts | Lost* | 3 plays, 7 yds | Punt | W, 23-20 |
| Broncos | Won | 9 plays, 47 yds | Interception | L, 22-19 |
| Bills | Won | 3 plays, 3 yds | Punt | L, 28-21 |
| Commanders | Won | 8 plays, 80 yds | Touchdown | W, 28-7 |
| Raiders | Won | 11 plays, 65 yds | Touchdown | W, 31-0 |
| Lions | Lost* | 8 plays, 81 yds | Touchdown | W, 30-17 |
| Jaguars | Won | 3 plays, 8 yds | Punt | L, 31-28 |
| Ravens | Won | 6 plays, 65 yds | Touchdown | W, 37-20 |
| Giants | Won | 11 plays, 74 yds | Touchdown | W, 22-9 |
| Eagles | Won | 4 plays, 8 yds | Downs | L, 20-17 |
| Chargers | Lost | 11 plays, 80 yds | Touchdown | L, 27-21 |
* Opposing team chose to receive opening kickoff
This story was originally published December 4, 2025 at 9:45 AM.
