Can Chiefs miss the playoffs? Why Kansas City is not in AFC playoff picture after Week 9

The Chiefs have won nine consecutive AFC West titles and are looking to make it a decade of dominance in 2025. Instead, Kansas City is the tough divison's third-place team after Week 9.

The best way to keep Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs from winning throughout the playoffs is keeping them out entirely. That's the shocking position the reigning three-time conference champions find themselves in with nine weeks left in the regular season.

The Chiefs fell to 5-4 after losing 28-21 in Buffalo. That caused them to lose ground in the AFC West. Here's breaking down where the Chiefs stand following their surprising first-half stumble.

Chiefs' place in AFC West standings

The Chiefs lost ground to both the Broncos and Chargers with their loss to the Bills. They also didn't get some key help from the last-place Raiders:

1. Denver Broncos (7-2)
2. Los Angeles Chargers (6-3)
3. Kansas City Chiefs (5-4)
4. Las Vegas Raiders (2-6)

MORE: How Brock Bowers torched Jaguars defense in Week 9 loss

The Chiefs are two full games behind the Broncos. The good news, is they have yet to face Denver this season. They're also a game behind the Chargers because they lost to Los Angeles in Week 1. The Chiefs already beat the Raiders once are not in jeopardy of falling into the last place, 2.5 games from that fate.

Chiefs' place in the AFC playoff picture

The Colts (7-2), Broncos (7-2) Patriots (7-2) all have the same record and are the No. 1 through 3 seeds in the conference. The AFC North-leading Steelers (5-3) are next at No. 4. The top two wild card teams at No. 5 and 6, belong to the Bills (6-2) and Chargers (6-3).

The Chiefs went into Week 9 holding on to No. 7 spot, the third AFC wild card. But they fell behind the 5-3 Jaguars who beat the Raiders in overtime and the Chiefs in Week 5. The Jaguars are now a half-game ahead of the Chiefs and own the tiebreakeor for the last spot.

Behind the No. 8-seeded Chiefs are the 3-5 Texans and 3-5 Ravens, two more fading 2024 division-winning playoff teams. The Chiefs hold a 1.5-game lead on both teams. They beat the Ravens at home in Week 4 and will host Houston in Week 14.

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Along with three combined matchups with the Broncos and Chargers, the Chiefs also have a date with the current top-seeded Colts. Andy Reid couldn't have asked for a better time to have a bye week than Week 10, with matchups against Denver and Indianapolis next.

The Chiefs also have the Cowboys, Texans, Titans and Raiders. Those now seem like must-win games just to get to double-digit wins. The key to winning a 10th straight AFC West title will be finishing 4-0 in division play, which won't be easy.

Overall, the Chiefs are still in fair shape to make the playoffs. The No. 1 seed seems out of reach, but it would be a totally different kind of tough path to get to the Super Bowl again as a bottom-two wild card that starts the playoffs on the road.