2021 Kansas City Chiefs season

Last updated

2021 Kansas City Chiefs season
Owner The Hunt family
General manager Brett Veach
Head coach Andy Reid
Home field Arrowhead Stadium
Results
Record12–5
Division place1st AFC West
Playoff finishWon Wild Card Playoffs
(vs. Steelers) 42–21
Won Divisional Playoffs
(vs. Bills) 42–36 (OT)
Lost AFC Championship
(vs. Bengals) 24–27 (OT)
Pro Bowlers
7
AP All-Pros
2
Team MVP Tyrann Mathieu
Team ROY Nick Bolton
Uniform
Kc chiefs uniforms.png

The 2021 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 52nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 62nd overall and their ninth under head coach Andy Reid, looking to become the fourth team in NFL history to make three straight Super Bowls.

Contents

The Chiefs started off slowly at 3–4 but would finish the regular season 12–5, winning the AFC West division title for the sixth consecutive season. The Chiefs would host their fourth straight conference championship but lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime 27–24. [1] [2]

This would be the final season with long-time wide receiver Tyreek Hill, as he was traded to the Miami Dolphins on March 23, 2022. A 6-time Pro Bowler during his time with Kansas City, Hill's final game with the Chiefs was on January 30, 2022, the aforementioned AFC Championship Game vs. the Bengals.

Head coach Andy Reid recorded his 100th win as the Chiefs head coach on October 3, 2021, a 42–30 win over his former team, Philadelphia Eagles. Reid became the first coach in NFL history to win 100 games as a head coach with multiple teams as well as the first to lead multiple teams to four straight Conference Championships, previously doing so with the Eagles from the 2001 to 2004 seasons.

Season summary

On March 4, 2021, the Chiefs announced that they had officially renamed Arrowhead Stadium, GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. [3]

The Chiefs lost two of their longest tenured players in the offseason. Tackle Eric Fisher was released [4] and fullback Anthony Sherman retired. [5] Both players joined the Chiefs in 2013.

In the offseason, the Chiefs announced they would once again retire their live horse mascot Warpaint to continue with their commitment to stop using Native American imagery. [6]

The Chiefs hosting the Raiders on December 12, a game in which they would win 48-9. It was the franchise's largest victory over their rival. Chiefs-Raiders 2021 at Arrowhead Stadium.png
The Chiefs hosting the Raiders on December 12, a game in which they would win 48–9. It was the franchise's largest victory over their rival.

The Chiefs opened the season on September 12 with a 33–29 victory over the Cleveland Browns. The win was the Chiefs' 15th consecutive win in September. [7] The Chiefs would lose their next two games to give them a 1–2 record after three games, which was their first losing record in 89 games, dating back to week 10 of the 2015 season. [8] The Chiefs' 20–38 week 5 loss to the Buffalo Bills, was the Chiefs' first double-digit loss in the regular season since 2017 and the Chiefs' first double-digit loss at home since 2014. In Week 7, the Chiefs lost 3–27 to the Tennessee Titans, which is the fewest points scored in a game since Patrick Mahomes became the quarterback. The Chiefs maintained a non-winning record until a week 9 victory over the Green Bay Packers. That 7-week stretch without a winning record was the Chiefs' longest stretch without a winning record since 2012 when they held a losing record the entire season. After starting the season 3–4, the Chiefs won their ninth game in week 14 over the Las Vegas Raiders clinching their ninth consecutive winning season, one short of the franchise record of 10. The 48–9 victory over the Raiders was the largest in franchise history over the Raiders and the largest victory against any opponent since the 2006 season. [9] In week 16, following a 36–10 victory over the Steelers and a loss by the Chargers, the Chiefs clinched their sixth consecutive AFC West division championship and their franchise record seventh straight playoff berth. [10] The Chiefs finished the regular season 12–5, their fourth consecutive 12-win season, all four since Patrick Mahomes became the starting quarterback.

Kansas City defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 42–21 in the Wild Card round of the 2021–22 NFL playoffs. They would then host Buffalo in the Divisional round, winning that game 42–36 in overtime. This game was hailed as one of the greatest modern NFL playoff games, with both teams combining for 25 points in the final two minutes of regulation. [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] The following week, despite being favored to win the AFC Championship game, the Chiefs would lose the game in an upset to the Bengals in overtime 24–27, a game in which they led 21–3 at one point in the second quarter.

NFL Top 100

NFL Network began announcing their annual top 100 list on August 15, 2021. Five Chiefs players were named to the list. Defensive end Frank Clark is the only player still on the roster that was ranked the previous season that went unranked for the 2021 season. Tight end Travis Kelce was ranked 5th, which is the highest ranking ever for a tight end in the history of the Top 100. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was ranked 1st on the list, which was the first time a Chiefs player was ranked the number one.

RankPlayerPositionChange
1 Patrick Mahomes QuarterbackIncrease2.svg3
5 Travis Kelce Tight endIncrease2.svg13
15 Tyreek Hill Wide receiverIncrease2.svg7
34 Chris Jones Defensive tackleIncrease2.svg2
58 Tyrann Mathieu SafetyDecrease2.svg19

Offseason

Transactions listed below occurred between the day after Super Bowl LV, February 8, and August 14, the day of the Chiefs first preseason game.

Source unless otherwise noted [18]

Coaching staff changes

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Coaching staff changes
Old coachReasonPositionNew coach
Deland McCullough [19] Accepted job at Indiana [19] Running backs coach Greg Lewis
Britt Reid [20] Contract expired,
not re-signed for
disciplinary reasons [20] 		Linebackers/outside
linebackers coach		 Ken Flajole
Greg LewisTitle change to
Running backs coach		Wide receivers Joe Bleymaier
Joe BleymaierTitle change to
Wide receivers coach		Pass game analyst /
assistant quarterbacks		David Giradi
David GiradiTitle change to
Pass game analyst /
Assistant quarterbacks		Offensive quality controlConnor Embree
Connor EmbreeTitle change to
Offensive quality control		Defensive assistantDonald D'Alesio

Players lost

Below are players who were on the roster at the end of the 2020 season, but were either released or did not re-sign after their contract expired. If a player resigns during the offseason, their name will be removed from the list.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Players lost
PlayerPositionReason
Le'Veon Bell [21] RBUFA
Bashaud Breeland [22] CBUFA
Alex Brown [23] CBERFA
Eric Fisher [4] TReleased
Antonio Hamilton [24] CBUFA
Tanoh Kpassagnon [25] DEUFA
Kelechi Osemele [26] GUFA
Mike Pennel [27] DTUFA
Martinas Rankin [28] TReleased
Austin Reiter [29] CUFA
Mitchell Schwartz [4] TReleased
Sammy Watkins [30] WRUFA
Damien Williams [31] RBReleased
Damien Wilson [32] LBUFA
Deon Yelder [33] TERFA

Retirements

Players that were on the Chiefs roster at the end of the season who announced their retirement before the preseason are listed below, even if their contract with the Chiefs had officially expired prior to their announcement.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Retirements
PlayerPositionNFL seasonsSeasons with the Chiefs
Anthony Sherman [34] FB108
Nick Keizer [35] TE42
Daniel Kilgore [36] C101

Players added

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Additions
PlayerPosition
Kyle Long G
Joe Thuney G
Blake Bell TE
Anthony Gordon QB
Jordan Ta'amu QB
Gehrig Dieter*WR
Dalton SchoenWR
Chad Williams WR
Antonio Callaway WR
Jody Fortson*TE
Maurice Ffrench*WR
Derrick Gore RB
Sean Culkin TE
Evan Baylis*TE
Prince Tega Wanogho T
Bryan Witzmann*T
Darryl Williams*G
Tyler ClarkDT
Demone Harris*DE
Austin Edwards*DE
Omari Cobb*LB
Emmanuel Smith*LB
Deandre Baker*CB
Rodney ClemonsS
Jarran Reed DT
Elijah McGuire RB
Michael Burton FB
Austin Blythe C
Tajae Sharpe WR
Kamalei Correa LB
Daurice Fountain WR
Darrius Shepherd WR

*Finished 2020 season on the Chiefs practice squad.

Trades

Listed below are trades were a player was included in the trade.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Trades
TeamReceivedCompensation
Baltimore Ravens T Orlando Brown Jr.
2nd-round selection 2021
6th-round selection 2022 		1st-round selection 2021
3rd-round selection 2021
4th-round selection 2021
5th-round selection 2022
Minnesota Vikings CB Mike Hughes
7th-round selection 2022 		6th-round selection 2022

Draft

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollege
258 Nick Bolton Linebacker Missouri
63 Creed Humphrey Center Oklahoma
4144* Joshua Kaindoh Defensive end Florida State
5162 Noah Gray Tight end Duke
181* Cornell Powell Wide receiver Clemson
6226 Trey Smith Guard Tennessee
* Compensatory selection

Trades

Undrafted free agents

2021 Kansas City Chiefs UDFAs
PlayerPositionCollege
Zayne Anderson S BYU
Dicaprio Bootle CB Nebraska
Shane Buechele QB SMU
Marlon CharacterCB Louisville
Riley ColeLB South Alabama
Malik Herring DE Georgia
Devon Key S Western Kentucky
Jaylon McClain-SappCB Marshall
Manny PattersonCB Maine

Signed and released in the offseason

Below are players who were signed and released in the offseason before playing for the team.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Signed and released
PlayerPosition
Sean Culkin TE
Jordan Ta'amu QB
Tajae Sharpe WR
Jaylon McClain-SappCB
Kamalei Correa LB
Drew ScottLS

Preseason transactions

Transactions listed below, occurred between August 15, the day after the Chiefs first preseason game, and September 12, the day of the Chiefs first regular season game.

Source for all transactions [18]

Cut to 85

The first preseason roster cutdown occurred on August 17. In addition the transactions below, the Chiefs placed running back Elijah McGuire on injured reserve.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Cut to 85
NamePosition
Evan Baylis TE
Antonio Callaway WR
Manny PattersonCB
Chad Williams WR

Cut to 80

The second preseason cutdown occurred on August 24. The Chiefs released or waived five players and did not use reserve lists to make the 80 player limit.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Cut to 80
NamePosition
Taco Charlton DE
Will Parks CB
Bryan Witzmann G
Riley ColeLB
Anthony Gordon QB

Final cutdown

The third and final preseason cutdown occurred on August 31. In addition to the transactions below, the Chiefs traded a player, placed Kyle Long on the physically unable to perform list, and placed Malik Herring on the reserve/non-football injury list.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Final Cutdown
NamePosition
Zayne Anderson S
Dicaprio Bootle CB
Shane Buechele QB
Marlon CharacterCB
Tyler ClarkDT
Rodney ClemonsS
Omari Cobb LB
Austin Edwards DE
Maurice Ffrench WR
Derrick GoreRB
Demone Harris DE
Marcus Kemp WR
Devon Key S
BoPete Keyes CB
Wyatt Miller OT
Cornell Powell WR
Dalton SchoenWR
Darrius Shepherd WR
Emmanuel Smith LB
Darwin Thompson RB
Prince Tega Wanogho OT
Tim Ward DE
Darryl WilliamsC

Trades

Listed below are trades were a player was included in the trade.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Trades
TeamReceivedCompensation
New England Patriots 7th round selection
2022 NFL Draft 		Yasir Durant

Signings

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Signings
NamePosition
Marcus Kemp* [40] WR

*Marcus Kemp was initially released during roster cut-downs, but was signed to the practice squad. The day after being signed to the practice squad, he was elevated to the active roster after linebacker Willie Gay was placed on injured reserve

Regular season transactions

Below are transactions that occurred after the Chiefs first game through their final game. Transactions below are only transactions related to the Chiefs active roster. Practice squad transactions will not be included.

Source for transactions through December 31 [18]

Source for transactions after January 1 [41]

Standard elevations

Standard practice squad elevations allow a player to elevated from the practice squad to the active roster for a single game and revert back to the practice squad following the game. Below are standard elevations used by the Chiefs during the season.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Standard elevations
NamePositionWeek(s)
used
Zayne Anderson S1
Dicaprio Bootle CB4, 14
Demone Harris*DE5, 6
Darius Harris LB7, 8
Christian Rozeboom*LB7
Austin Edwards DE8
Daurice Fountain WR11, WC, DV, ACG
Josh Jackson CB14, 16
Nakia Griffin-StewartTE16
Johnny Townsend*P16
Darwin Thompson RBWC, DV

*No longer on practice squad

Non-standard elevations

Below are players elevated from the practice squad using a non-standard elevation, meaning, if the Chiefs want them to go back to the practice squad, they must clear waivers then sign them back to the practice squad.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Non-Standard elevations
NamePosition
Josh Gordon WR
Derrick GoreRB
Prince Tega Wanogho OT
Shane Buechele QB
Zayne Anderson S
Elliott Fry K

Trades

Listed below are trades where a player was included in the trade.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Trades
TeamReceivedCompensation
Pittsburgh Steelers DE Melvin Ingram 6th-round selection
2022 NFL Draft
New York Jets TE Daniel Brown G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif

Players cut

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Cuts
NamePosition
Darius Harris LB
Daurice Fountain WR
Daniel Brown TE
Elliott Fry K
Josh Gordon WR

Injured reserve activations

Players listed below were activated off injured reserve

2021 Kansas City Chiefs IR Activations
NamePositionDate added
to IR		Date activated
Willie Gay LBSeptember 2October 9
Clyde Edwards-Helaire RBOctober 12November 20
Jerick McKinnon RBNovember 30January 1
Joshua Kaindoh DEOctober 5January 11
Khalen Saunders DTNovember 30January 25

COVID-19 protocols

The following players missed games because of the NFL's COVID-19 protocols. Typically, a player misses because of a positive test. Vaccinated players can return simply after a subsequent negative test, unvaccinated players are out for five days.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs COVID-19
NamePositionWeek(s) missed
Chris Jones DT15
Josh Gordon WR15
Willie Gay LB15
Harrison Butker K16
Rashad Fenton CB16
Kyle Long G16
Tommy Townsend P16
Nick Bolton LB16
Travis Kelce [42] TE16
Lucas Niang OT16

Staff

2021 Kansas City Chiefs staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Barry Rubin
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Greg Carbin
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Tyler Judkins
  • Assistant strength and conditioning/director of sports science – Ryan Reynolds

Final roster

2021 Kansas City Chiefs final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
53 active, 5 inactive, 16 practice squad

Preseason

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1August 14at San Francisco 49ers W 19–161–0 Levi's Stadium Recap
2August 20at Arizona Cardinals W 17–102–0 State Farm Stadium Recap
3August 27 Minnesota Vikings W 28–253–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap

Game summaries

Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers

Week 1: Kansas City Chiefs at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs703919
49ers630716

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

Game information

Week 2: at Arizona Cardinals

Week 2: Kansas City Chiefs at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs377017
Cardinals003710

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

Week 3: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Week 3: Minnesota Vikings at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Vikings3071525
Chiefs1477028

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: August 27
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 91 °F (33 °C)
  • Game attendance: 72,680
  • Referee: Shawn Hochuli
  • TV announcers (KSHB): Ari Wolfe, Trent Green, Kay Adams and Matt McMullen
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1 September 12 Cleveland Browns W 33–291–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
2 September 19at Baltimore Ravens L 35–361–1 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
3 September 26 Los Angeles Chargers L 24–301–2Arrowhead Stadium Recap
4 October 3at Philadelphia Eagles W 42–302–2 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
5 October 10 Buffalo Bills L 20–382–3Arrowhead Stadium Recap
6 October 17at Washington Football Team W 31–133–3 FedExField Recap
7 October 24at Tennessee Titans L 3–273–4 Nissan Stadium Recap
8 November 1 New York Giants W 20–174–4Arrowhead Stadium Recap
9 November 7 Green Bay Packers W 13–75–4Arrowhead Stadium Recap
10 November 14at Las Vegas Raiders W 41–146–4 Allegiant Stadium Recap
11 November 21 Dallas Cowboys W 19–97–4Arrowhead Stadium Recap
12 Bye
13 December 5 Denver Broncos W 22–98–4Arrowhead Stadium Recap
14 December 12 Las Vegas Raiders W 48–99–4Arrowhead Stadium Recap
15 December 16at Los Angeles Chargers W 34–28 (OT)10–4 SoFi Stadium Recap
16 December 26 Pittsburgh Steelers W 36–1011–4Arrowhead Stadium Recap
17 January 2at Cincinnati Bengals L 31–3411–5 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
18 January 8at Denver Broncos W 28–2412–5 Empower Field at Mile High Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week 1: Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Browns8140729
Chiefs37101333

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 2: at Baltimore Ravens

Week 2: Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs14714035
Ravens71071236

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game information

Week 3: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Week 3: Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chargers01401630
Chiefs0314724

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: September 26
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Clear, 81 °F (27 °C)
  • Game attendance: 72,980
  • Referee: Shawn Hochuli
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 4: at Philadelphia Eagles

Week 4: Kansas City Chiefs at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs71471442
Eagles10331430

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Game information

Week 5: vs. Buffalo Bills

Week 5: Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Bills7177738
Chiefs3100720

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: October 10
  • Game time: 7:20 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,389
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 6: at Washington Football Team

Week 6: Kansas City Chiefs at Washington Football Team – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs7371431
Washington3100013

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

  • Date: October 17
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 62 °F (17 °C)
  • Game attendance: 51,322
  • Referee: Adrian Hill
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Charles Davis and Evan Washburn
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 7: at Tennessee Titans

Week 7: Kansas City Chiefs at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs00303
Titans14130027

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

  • Date: October 24
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 70 °F (21 °C)
  • Game attendance: 69,484
  • Referee: Brad Allen
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Charles Davis and Evan Washburn
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 8: vs. New York Giants

Week 8: New York Giants at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Giants0100717
Chiefs770620

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 9: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 9: Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Packers00077
Chiefs760013

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 10: at Las Vegas Raiders

Week 10: Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs710101441
Raiders077014

at Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada

  • Date: November 14
  • Game time: 7:20 p.m. CST/5:20 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 62,125
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 11: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week 11: Dallas Cowboys at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Cowboys30339
Chiefs973019

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: November 21
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,494
  • Referee: John Hussey
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 13: vs. Denver Broncos

Week 13: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Broncos03069
Chiefs1003922

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: December 5
  • Game time: 7:20 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,185
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Kathryn Tappen
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 14: vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Week 14: Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Raiders03609
Chiefs142131048

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: December 12
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,278
  • Referee: Brad Allen
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Charles Davis and Evan Washburn
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 15: at Los Angeles Chargers

Week 15: Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers – Game summary
Period1234OTTotal
Chiefs73315634
Chargers014014028

at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

  • Date: December 16
  • Game time: 7:20 p.m. CST/5:20 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 70,240
  • Referee: Shawn Smith
  • TV announcers (Fox/NFLN/Prime Video): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Kristina Pink
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 16: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 16: Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Steelers003710
Chiefs1497636

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: December 26
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,371
  • Referee: Jerome Boger
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 17: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week 17: Kansas City Chiefs at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs14140331
Bengals71071034

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Date: January 2
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 33 °F (1 °C)
  • Game attendance: 64,505
  • Referee: Ronald Torbert
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 18: at Denver Broncos

Week 18: Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs7371128
Broncos777324

at Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

Game information

Standings

Division

AFC West
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
(2) Kansas City Chiefs 1250.7065–17–5480364W1
(5) Las Vegas Raiders 1070.5883–38–4374439W4
Los Angeles Chargers 980.5293–36–6474459L1
Denver Broncos 7100.4121–53–9335322L4

Conference

AFC
#TeamDivisionWLTPCTDIVCONFSOSSOVSTK
Division winners
1 [lower-alpha 1] Tennessee Titans South1250.7065–18–4.472.480W3
2 [lower-alpha 1] Kansas City Chiefs West1250.7065–17–5.538.517W1
3 Buffalo Bills East1160.6475–17–5.472.428W4
4 Cincinnati Bengals North1070.5884–28–4.472.462L1
Wild cards
5 [lower-alpha 2] Las Vegas Raiders West1070.5883–38–4.510.515W4
6 [lower-alpha 2] New England Patriots East1070.5883–38–4.481.394L1
7 Pittsburgh Steelers North971.5594–27–5.521.490W2
Did not qualify for the postseason
8 [lower-alpha 3] Indianapolis Colts South980.5293–37–5.495.431L2
9 [lower-alpha 3] [lower-alpha 4] Miami Dolphins East980.5294–26–6.464.379W1
10 [lower-alpha 3] [lower-alpha 4] Los Angeles Chargers West980.5293–36–6.510.500L1
11 [lower-alpha 5] Cleveland Browns North890.4713–35–7.514.415W1
12 [lower-alpha 5] Baltimore Ravens North890.4711–55–7.531.460L6
13 Denver Broncos West7100.4121–53–9.484.357L4
14 [lower-alpha 6] New York Jets East4130.2350–64–8.512.426L2
15 [lower-alpha 6] Houston Texans South4130.2353–34–8.498.397L2
16 Jacksonville Jaguars South3140.1761–53–9.512.569W1
Tiebreakers [lower-alpha 7]
  1. 1 2 Tennessee finished ahead of Kansas City based on head-to-head victory.
  2. 1 2 Las Vegas finished ahead of New England based on win percentage in common games (5–1 vs. 2–4 against: Miami, Dallas, LA Chargers, Cleveland, and Indianapolis).
  3. 1 2 3 Indianapolis finished ahead of Miami and Los Angeles based on conference record (7–5 vs. 6–6).
  4. 1 2 Miami finished ahead of LA Chargers based on win percentage in common games (5–1 vs. 2–4 against: New England, Las Vegas, Houston, Baltimore, and NY Giants).
  5. 1 2 Cleveland finished ahead of Baltimore based on division record (3–3 vs. 1–5).
  6. 1 2 NY Jets finished ahead of Houston based on head-to-head victory.
  7. ↑ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

Postseason

Schedule

RoundDateOpponent (seed)ResultRecordVenueRecap
Wild Card January 16 Pittsburgh Steelers (7)W 42–211–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
Divisional January 23 Buffalo Bills (3)W 42–36 (OT) 2–0Arrowhead Stadium Recap
AFC Championship January 30 Cincinnati Bengals (4)L 24–27 (OT)2–1Arrowhead Stadium Recap

Game summaries

AFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (7) Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC Wild Card Playoffs: (7) Pittsburgh Steelers at (2) Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Steelers077721
Chiefs02114742

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

AFC Divisional Playoffs: vs. (3) Buffalo Bills

AFC Divisional Playoffs: (3) Buffalo Bills at (2) Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234OTTotal
Bills77715036
Chiefs77913642

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

AFC Championship: vs. (4) Cincinnati Bengals

AFC Championship: (4) Cincinnati Bengals at (2) Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234OTTotal
Bengals37113327
Chiefs71403024

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: January 30, 2022
  • Game time: 3:05 p.m. EST/2:05 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 41 °F (5 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,377
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson, Evan Washburn and Jay Feely
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Statistics

Team

CategoryTotal yardsYards per gameNFL rank
(out of 32)
Passing offense4,791281.84th
Rushing offense1,955115.016th
Total offense6,746396.83rd
Passing defense4,273251.427th
Rushing defense1,999117.621st
Total defense6,272368.927th

Individual

CategoryPlayerTotal yards
Offense
Passing Patrick Mahomes 4,839
Rushing Darrel Williams 558
Receiving Tyreek Hill 1,239
Defense
Tackles (Solo) Nick Bolton 70
Sacks Chris Jones 9
Interceptions Tyrann Mathieu 3

Statistics correct as of the end of the 2021 NFL season [43] [44]

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