Chiefs clinch eighth consecutive AFC West crown with win over Bengals

This hasn’t been the same-old season for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Nevertheless, the Chiefs are the same-old rulers of the AFC West.

The Chiefs clinched their eighth consecutive division title with their 25-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, along with a ninth straight playoff berth and an opening-round home game.

“It was a good game to get,” head coach Andy Reid said afterward. “It was great to have the guys that have a championship — with the AFC West. That’s a positive thing. I know how they are; they are not going to rest on that. It is exciting for them to get a taste, especially, the new guys. Again, I’m proud of the whole situation there.”

Under Reid, Kansas City has now made the playoffs in 10 of 11 seasons. The Chiefs’ eight-season run of division titles is second all-time, having broken a tie with the Rams (1973-1979). They now trail only the New England Patriots dynasty’s 11 consecutive crowns from 2009-2019. The nine consecutive postseason appearances stand as the longest active streak in the league.

Kansas City is amid a historic run for the ages, rife with divisional and postseason success.

However, the Patrick Mahomes-led offense has put forth uncharacteristically low offensive production this time around. Ahead of Sunday’s game, the Chiefs were averaging their fewest points and yards per game in the Mahomes era, which began in 2018 when he took over as the team’s starting quarterback.

Nevertheless, the results have largely remained the same.

“It’s definitely special. It always is though,” Mahomes said after clinching the division title. “I mean it’s really cool to win the AFC West, but obviously dealing with some adverse situations over these last few weeks. For guys to respond, it’s a good football team, and to find a way to win — even when the game wasn’t going our way at the beginning. It was special. I told the guys to celebrate it, enjoy it, but our goal is to obviously continue to win and we need to build off this momentum to get ready for the playoffs.”

With another division title in the history books, the Chiefs will now set their sights on reaching a sixth consecutive AFC Championship Game.