The headlines that defined the Kansas City Chiefs’ decade

In the 2010s, Kansas City Chiefs fans saw a little bit of everything. With too many heartbreaking playoff losses to keep track of, I looked back at moments and events that helped tell the story of this 10-year period.

With the last game of the decade now officially in the books, the Chiefs finished it with a 60.2% winning percentage in the regular season. Their success was built one step — and storyline — at a time:

April 22nd, 2010: The Kansas City Chiefs select S Eric Berry (story link)

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Berry fulfills a big need for the Chiefs, with their safety play dropping after dramatically last season. Eric “The 5th Dimension” Berry is an immediate starter for KC, likely alongside current S Jarrad Page.

Wow. I’m surprised Scott Pioli took a safety this high. I’m even more surprised he wasn’t able to deal out the pick, unless he truly did want Berry at the five spot. — Chris Thorman

December 2, 2012: Romeo Crennel’s reaction to Jovan Belcher: A tough postgame for the Chiefs head coach (story link)

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I don’t know if the Chiefs should’ve played this game or not but I can respect Romeo and the players’ reasoning for wanting to play: ‘They also felt like it was best that we played, if for no other reason, it takes our mind off our misery for a few hours,’ Romeo said. — Joel Thorman

January 4, 2013: Andy Reid to Chiefs is done: Former Eagles coach lands in Kansas City (story link)

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Like GM Scott Pioli four years ago, Reid was the biggest name on the market (with a nod to Chip Kelly). Reid was said to have been “95 percent” sure to be heading to Arizona at one point but he never got on the plane to Arizona. The Cardinals later asked for permission to interview Todd Haley, a sign that they moved away from Reid.

Reid was connected to other jobs, like San Diego, where he has a home, but those rumors never got as serious as the ones with the Chiefs did. — Joel Thorman

March 1, 2013: The case for Alex Smith: This is why the Chiefs should make the trade (story link)

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Alex Smith simply knows how to play the quarterback position and does all of the little things well that you’d ask of him. He’s not the most physically gifted quarterback in the NFL but over the past two seasons he’s completed 64 percent of his passes with 30 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions. Numbers don’t always give you the whole story but that’s good. He’s 19-5-1 under Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco. — BJ Kissel

October 13, 2013: Arrowhead stadium hits 137.5 decibels, breaking crowd noise record (story link)

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Besides rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs’ sixth win of the season, the crowd at Arrowhead stadium had something else to cheer for this afternoon: the Guinness World record for loudest stadium. And they did it: officially hitting 137.5 decibels to best Seattle’s CenturyLink field record of 136.6 decibels set earlier this season. The record was reportedly set with approximately 1:35 left in the game when Chiefs’ safety Hussein Abdullah returned an interception for a touchdown. — Chris Thorman

January 4, 2014: The Chiefs had a 99.1 percent chance of beating the Colts at one point (story link)

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According to ESPN Stats and Info, the Chiefs had a 96.4 percent win probability at halftime. When the Chiefs scored their fifth touchdown shortly after halftime to make it 38-10, the Chiefs had a 99.1 percent win probability. 99.1 percent win probability vs. the Chiefs playoff curse. The curse lives. — Joel Thorman

September 30, 2014: Kansas City Chiefs MNF dominance over Patriots starts with Andy Reid (story link)

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Andy Reid should get all the game balls this week. He took Bill Belichick out back and beat the daylights out of him for three hours on national television. — Seth Keysor

November 25, 2014: Kansas City Chiefs’ Eric Berry has an entire city (and more) behind him (story link)

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For so long, Eric Berry has been a rock for the Kansas City Chiefs. He has been a leader, a guiding light in times of darkness, a constant throughout periods of uneasiness. Now, in the most difficult hour of his life, Eric Berry needs all of us.

Berry has a mass in his chest that is being speculated to be lymphoma. The young man is only 25 years old and now faces the fight of a lifetime. None of us know him personally. Sure, a few have gotten his autograph or said hello, but none of us have shared dinner with the man or spoke to him on a deeper level. He is a complete stranger in every sense of the word, and yet he’s a cared-for friend in need of a lift. — Matt Verderame

December 28, 2014: Justin Houston tops Derrick Thomas, sets new Chiefs sack record with 22 (story link)

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That he is tying records set by Derrick Thomas shows how special Justin Houston is. It also shows how damn expensive he will be. He is arguably the best pass rusher in the NFL right now and he is set to become a free agent at the end of the season. There is a zero percent chance he goes anywhere — the Chiefs will franchise him if they don’t reach a long-term deal — but it’s still a tenuous situation considering how much money we’re talking about here. — Joel Thorman

October 11, 2015: Jamaal Charles is hurt, and I hope we get to appreciate him again (story link)

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But watching Charles be carried off the field by Justin Houston killed something for me. I watch football because I love football. I think there’s beauty in the unbelievably complicated mess each play brings. And no one made the game more beautiful than Charles.

So I guess I finally found the words to describe watching Charles play the game. It’s beautiful.

I’m just afraid that it wasn’t in time. I desperate, desperately hope I’m wrong. — Seth Keysor

January 9, 2016: Chiefs crush Texans, win first playoff game in 22 years (story link)

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The Chiefs did like the Royals and ended Houston’s season. The Chiefs won their first playoff game in 22 years by beating the Houston Texans by a score of 30-0. It’s the first playoff shutout since 2005.

The Chiefs defensive performance was absolutely dominant. Four interceptions and a fumble. What a day for the Chiefs defense. The offense wasn’t quite itself but the defense did more than enough to make up for it. — Joel Thorman

April 30, 2016: Chiefs pick Tyreek Hill out of West Alabama (story link)

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With the 165th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs select WR West Alabama WR Tyreek Hill. He’s listed as a WR but could be a RB. Sounds like an Andy Reid type of pick.

He left Oklahoma State under less than ideal conditions after that with a domestic violence incident. I’m sure Hill and / or the Chiefs will address that. But yeah, that’s ugly.

Hill said that he visited Kansas City before the draft. Our OSU blog, Cowboys Ride For Free, was surprised that Hill was drafted based on his past. However, he says he’s the most electrifying player he’s seen since Dez Bryant. — Joel Thorman

January 15, 2017: Steelers-Chiefs final score: 18-16 loss ends Kansas City’s season (story link)

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There were a lot of points when this game went the wrong way but Fisher’s penalty is at the top. The Chiefs had just scored with 2:43 left in the game and needed to go for two to tie the game at 18. The Chiefs completed the two point conversion to Demetrius Harris but the refs called holding on Eric Fisher. BRUTAL penalty. — Joel Thorman

April 27, 2017: Kansas City selects QB Patrick Mahomes after trade with Bills (story link)

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It’s a significant price - especially next year’s first - but the Chiefs get the most important position in sports - a quarterback. The Chiefs now have someone to put behind Alex Smith and mentor. Alex has two years left on his deal so Mahomes could sit for a year or even two before he has to play. This is an ideal situation for a quarterback. — Joel Thorman

January 31, 2018: Alex Smith traded to Washington Redskins: Yes, really (story link)

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So, Mahomes time? Most immediately, this means that Patrick Mahomes is your new Chiefs starting quarterback and the Chiefs saved about $17 million against the cap. This is what many thought would happen, but it’s still stunning on a number of levels. — Joel Thorman

January 12, 2019: Chiefs dominate Colts 31-13 to advance to AFC Championship (story link)

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With surprising reliance on a defense that kept the Indianapolis Colts offense out of the end zone during the first half, the Kansas City Chiefs soundly defeated the Colts 31-13 to advance to the AFC Championship Game for the first time since 1993 — and the first time ever at Arrowhead Stadium — John Dixon

January 20, 2019: Chiefs end season with heartbreaking 37-31 overtime loss to Patriots at Arrowhead (story link)

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The Kansas City Chiefs played their worst football in the season in the first half, trailing 14-0 at halftime. But in the second half, they came back strong and tied the game 31-31 with just 11 seconds remaining to force overtime, and ultimately fell to the New England Patriots 37-31, ending their season and sending the Patriots to Super Bowl LIII to face the Los Angeles Rams. — John Dixon

February 2, 2019: Patrick Mahomes named AP NFL Most Valuable Player (story link)

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Mahomes, 23, received 41 of a possible 50 votes from the Associated Press to win the league’s Most Valuable Player Award. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees received the other nine. Mahomes is the youngest player to ever win the MVP award in the Super Bowl era. — Pete Sweeney

March 15, 2019: Chiefs have tasked Tyrann Mathieu with leading team’s culture change (story link)

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Mathieu wasn’t just signed by the Chiefs to replace Berry’s position; the Chiefs brought the LSU product to Kansas City to take over Berry’s role as the head of the defense. — Pete Sweeney

December 29, 2019: Chiefs defeat Chargers 31-21, clinch first-round bye (story link)

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With the Miami Dolphins upsetting the New England Patriots in Foxborough, the Chiefs enter the AFC playoffs as the No. 2 seed, clinching a first-round bye and homefield advantage against every team except the Baltimore Ravens. — Pete Sweeney