Chiefs clinch AFC West title for fifth straight season

The Kansas City Chiefs moved to 12-1 this season after a hard fought, 33-27 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 14. They also clinched their fifth-straight AFC West championship, because no other team in the division can finish better than 11-5 — and they’ve now reached 12 wins.

The accomplishment is met with lesser fanfare than you might expect. The Chiefs are still chasing the 11-1 Pittsburgh Steelers for the AFC’s top seed. The Steelers have the current tiebreaker because their only loss was to an NFC team; the Chiefs’ sole loss was to a conference foe.

No matter how big of a deal the division title is, there are still t-shirts to celebrate.

Either way, the Chiefs are now guaranteed a home postseason game to begin their playoff run and quest for a second-consecutive championship.

They will know more about their playoff seeding after the result of tonight’s Sunday Night Football game. The Steelers are taking on the 9-3 Buffalo Bills; a Pittsburgh loss would put the Chiefs’ along at the top of the AFC — but a Buffalo loss would all but seal the deal on Kansas City being a top-two seed.

It is head coach Andy Reid’s fifth division title since he took over in Kansas City — and 11th overall as an NFL head coach. It’s safe to say that over the last five years, no team has been more dominant over its division than the Chiefs.