The 2018 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 49th season in the National Football League, their 59th overall, their sixth under head coach Andy Reid, and their second under general manager Brett Veach. The Chiefs finished 12–4 and won their third consecutive AFC West title, made their fourth consecutive playoff appearance, but lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the AFC Championship in overtime. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes won the AP NFL MVP award, becoming the first Chiefs player to ever be named MVP.[1]
2018 Kansas City Chiefs season | |
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Owner | The Hunt family |
General manager | Brett Veach |
Head coach | Andy Reid |
Home field | Arrowhead Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 12–4 |
Division place | 1st AFC West |
Playoff finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Colts) 31–13 Lost AFC Championship (vs. Patriots) 31–37 (OT) |
Pro Bowlers | 6
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AP All-Pros | 5
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Team MVP | Patrick Mahomes |
Team ROY | Andrew Wylie |
Uniform | |
In the offseason the Chiefs had several major changes, including trading 2-time Pro Bowler Marcus Peters, as well as Alex Smith. The team also voided the final year of the contract of their longest tenured player Derrick Johnson and they released long time linebacker Tamba Hali.
Under first year starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs would start the season 5–0 for the second consecutive year before losing to the New England Patriots. The Chiefs then won their next four games before losing again to the Los Angeles Rams. A Week 14 win over the Baltimore Ravens clinched the Chiefs' fourth consecutive playoff appearance. After defeating their rival, the Oakland Raiders 35–3 in Week 17, the Chiefs clinched their third consecutive division title and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs for the first time since 1997.[2]
In the playoffs, the Chiefs advanced to the AFC Championship Game for the first time since 1993 by defeating the Indianapolis Colts, 31–13 in the divisional round. This win ended the Chiefs' 6-game home playoff losing streak dating back to 1993. It was only the Chiefs' second win in their last 13 playoff games. In the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, 37–31 in overtime. Two days after the loss, defensive coordinator Bob Sutton was fired following multiple NFL analysts criticizing his lack of adjustments in the AFC Championship Game, as well as other games throughout the season.[3]
The Chiefs had three players ranked in NFL Network's annual Top 100 players countdown, the fewest the team has had on the list since 2012.
Rank | Player | Position | Change |
---|---|---|---|
24 | Travis Kelce | TE | 2 |
33 | Kareem Hunt* | RB | NR |
40 | Tyreek Hill | WR/PR | 4 |
*Did not finish the season on the roster
Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 46 | Breeland Speaks | Defensive end | Ole Miss |
3 | 75 | Derrick Nnadi | Defensive tackle | Florida State |
100 | Dorian O'Daniel | Linebacker | Clemson | |
4 | 124 | Armani Watts | Safety | Texas A&M |
6 | 196 | Tremon Smith | Cornerback | Central Arkansas |
198 | Kahlil McKenzie | Defensive tackle | Tennessee |
Trades
Front office
Head coaches Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
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1 | August 9 | Houston Texans | L 10–17 | 0–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
2 | August 17 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 28–14 | 1–1 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
3 | August 25 | at Chicago Bears | L 20–27 | 1–2 | Soldier Field | Recap |
4 | August 30 | Green Bay Packers | W 33–21 | 2–2 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texans | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
Chiefs | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Chiefs | 0 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 28 |
Falcons | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Game information | ||
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Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Chiefs | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
Bears | 14 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 27 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Game information | ||
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Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Packers | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
Chiefs | 7 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 33 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
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1 | September 9 | at Los Angeles Chargers | W 38–28 | 1–0 | StubHub Center | Recap |
2 | September 16 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 42–37 | 2–0 | Heinz Field | Recap |
3 | September 23 | San Francisco 49ers | W 38–27 | 3–0 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
4 | October 1 | at Denver Broncos | W 27–23 | 4–0 | Broncos Stadium at Mile High | Recap |
5 | October 7 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 30–14 | 5–0 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
6 | October 14 | at New England Patriots | L 40–43 | 5–1 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
7 | October 21 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 45–10 | 6–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
8 | October 28 | Denver Broncos | W 30–23 | 7–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
9 | November 4 | at Cleveland Browns | W 37–21 | 8–1 | FirstEnergy Stadium | Recap |
10 | November 11 | Arizona Cardinals | W 26–14 | 9–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
11 | November 19 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 51–54 | 9–2 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Recap |
12 | Bye | |||||
13 | December 2 | at Oakland Raiders | W 40–33 | 10–2 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | Recap |
14 | December 9 | Baltimore Ravens | W 27–24 (OT) | 11–2 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
15 | December 13 | Los Angeles Chargers | L 28–29 | 11–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
16 | December 23 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 31–38 | 11–4 | CenturyLink Field | Recap |
17 | December 30 | Oakland Raiders | W 35–3 | 12–4 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
Notes
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 14 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
Chargers | 6 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 28 |
at Stubhub Center, Carson, California
Game information | ||
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Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Chiefs | 21 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
Steelers | 0 | 21 | 7 | 9 | 37 |
at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game information | ||
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Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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49ers | 0 | 10 | 14 | 3 | 27 |
Chiefs | 14 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 38 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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This game was Patrick Mahomes’ home debut at Arrowhead Stadium, which also happened to be against the team Mahomes would eventually defeat in his first Super Bowl victory.
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Chiefs | 3 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 27 |
Broncos | 3 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 23 |
at Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
Game information | ||
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Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Jaguars | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
Chiefs | 7 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 30 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Chiefs | 6 | 3 | 17 | 14 | 40 |
Patriots | 10 | 14 | 3 | 16 | 43 |
at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
Game information | ||
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Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Bengals | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
Chiefs | 7 | 17 | 14 | 7 | 45 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Broncos | 7 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 23 |
Chiefs | 3 | 13 | 14 | 0 | 30 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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With this win, head coach Andy Reid eclipsed win number 200, becoming the seventh coach in NFL history to do so (with Don Shula, George Halas, Bill Belichick, Tom Landry, Curly Lambeau, & Marty Schottenheimer).[11]
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 7 | 14 | 13 | 3 | 37 |
Browns | 3 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 21 |
at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Game information | ||
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With this win, head coach Andy Reid won his 201st regular season game, passing Marty Schottenheimer to move to 6th most regular season wins in NFL history.
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cardinals | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
Chiefs | 10 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 26 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Chiefs | 7 | 16 | 7 | 21 | 51 |
Rams | 13 | 10 | 17 | 14 | 54 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
Game information | ||
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Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Chiefs | 10 | 9 | 14 | 7 | 40 |
Raiders | 0 | 7 | 9 | 17 | 33 |
at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
Game information | ||
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Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
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Ravens | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
Chiefs | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Chargers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 29 |
Chiefs | 14 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Chiefs | 3 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
Seahawks | 7 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 38 |
at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington
Game information | ||
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Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Raiders | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Chiefs | 14 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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With this win, head coach Andy Reid won his 206th combined regular season & post season game, passing Marty Schottenheimer to move to 7th most combined wins in NFL history.[12]
AFC West | |||||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(1) Kansas City Chiefs | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 10–2 | 565 | 421 | W1 |
(5) Los Angeles Chargers | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 4–2 | 9–3 | 428 | 329 | W1 |
Denver Broncos | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–4 | 4–8 | 329 | 349 | L4 |
Oakland Raiders | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 3–9 | 290 | 467 | L1 |
# | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division leaders | |||||||||||
1[a] | Kansas City Chiefs | West | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .480 | .401 | W1 |
2[b] | New England Patriots | East | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .482 | .494 | W2 |
3[b] | Houston Texans | South | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .471 | .435 | W1 |
4 | Baltimore Ravens | North | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 8–4 | .496 | .450 | W3 |
Wild Cards | |||||||||||
5[a] | Los Angeles Chargers | West | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .477 | .422 | W1 |
6 | Indianapolis Colts | South | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .465 | .456 | W4 |
Did not qualify for the postseason | |||||||||||
7 | Pittsburgh Steelers | North | 9 | 6 | 1 | .594 | 4–1–1 | 6–5–1 | .504 | .448 | W1 |
8 | Tennessee Titans | South | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 5–7 | .520 | .465 | L1 |
9 | Cleveland Browns | North | 7 | 8 | 1 | .469 | 3–2–1 | 5–6–1 | .516 | .411 | L1 |
10 | Miami Dolphins | East | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .469 | .446 | L3 |
11[c] | Denver Broncos | West | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .523 | .464 | L4 |
12[c] | Cincinnati Bengals | North | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .535 | .448 | L2 |
13[c] | Buffalo Bills | East | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .523 | .411 | W1 |
14 | Jacksonville Jaguars | South | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .549 | .463 | L1 |
15[d] | New York Jets | East | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .506 | .438 | L3 |
16[d] | Oakland Raiders | West | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .547 | .406 | L1 |
Tiebreakers[e] | |||||||||||
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Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
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Wild Card | First-round bye | |||||
Divisional | January 12 | Indianapolis Colts (6) | W 31–13 | 1–0 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
AFC Championship | January 20 | New England Patriots (2) | L 31–37 (OT) | 1–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Colts | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
Chiefs | 14 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
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Patriots | 7 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 37 |
Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 7 | 24 | 0 | 31 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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