2015 Kansas City Chiefs season

2015 Kansas City Chiefs season
OwnerThe Hunt family
General managerJohn Dorsey
Head coachAndy Reid
Home fieldArrowhead Stadium
Results
Record11–5
Division place2nd AFC West
Playoff finishWon Wild Card Playoffs
(at Texans) 30–0
Lost Divisional Playoffs
(at Patriots) 20–27
Pro Bowlers
6
AP All-Pros
3
  • S Eric Berry (1st team)
  • LB Derrick Johnson (2nd team)
  • CB Marcus Peters (2nd team)
Team MVPAlex Smith, Eric Berry
Team ROYMarcus Peters
Uniform

The 2015 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 46th in the National Football League (NFL), their 56th overall and their third under the head coach/general manager tandem of Andy Reid and John Dorsey. The Chiefs went through a poor start in their first six games as they were 1–5, and lost their star running back, Jamaal Charles, to a torn ACL in his right knee during an 18–17 Week 5 loss at home against the Chicago Bears. In week 16, after their ninth consecutive victory and the Baltimore Ravens defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Chiefs clinched a playoff berth, their second in three years.[1] They are the first team since the 1970 Cincinnati Bengals to start the season 1–5 and qualify for the playoffs.[2] They also set the franchise record for the most consecutive victories, winning 10 in a row (which has since been eclipsed by the 2019–2020 Chiefs). In their Wild Card matchup, the Chiefs were set up to play against the Houston Texans. The Chiefs shutout the Texans 30–0 to earn their first playoff win in 22 years, ending what was at the time, until the Bengals broke the record the night the Chiefs won, an NFL record for consecutive playoff losses. The shutout was the Chiefs first ever playoff shutout and remains, as of the 2023–24 playoffs, the most recent playoff shutout in the NFL. The following week, they were defeated by the New England Patriots in the divisional round 27–20.

Two Chiefs took home awards at the 5th Annual NFL Honors honoring performances from the 2015 season. Cornerback Marcus Peters won Defensive Rookie of the Year after leading the NFL in interceptions. Safety Eric Berry won Comeback Player of the Year after a being named All-Pro the year after having his season cut short due to a lymphoma diagnosis.

As of 2023, the 2015 season is the most recent season that the Chiefs did not win the AFC West.

Roster changes

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Offseason

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Reserve/future free agent contracts

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Player Position
Brandon Barden TE
Armon Binns WR
Hebron Fangupo DT
Curtis Feight T
Brandon Hartson LS
Ricky Henry G
Aaron Hester CB
Deji Olatoye
Jarrod Pughsley T
Da'Rick Rogers WR
Adam Schiltz TE
Derek Sherrod T
Spencer Ware HB
Fred Williams WR
Jerel Worthy DT

Cuts

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Position Player 2015 team
LB Joe Mays New York Jets
DT Vance Walker Denver Broncos
TE Anthony Fasano Tennessee Titans
WR Donnie Avery None
WR A. J. Jenkins Dallas Cowboys
WR Dwayne Bowe Cleveland Browns
G Mike McGlynn New Orleans Saints

Trades

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Position Player/pick
received		 Team Compensation
G Ben Grubbs New Orleans Saints 5th round pick,
2015 NFL draft
FS Kelcie McCray Seattle Seahawks 5th round pick,
2016 NFL draft

Free agents

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Position Player Status* 2014 team(s) 2015 team
WR Jason Avant UFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs
S Tyvon Branch UFA Oakland Raiders Kansas City Chiefs
FS Kurt Coleman UFA Kansas City Chiefs Carolina Panthers
LS Thomas Gafford UFA Kansas City Chiefs Chicago Bears
TE Richard Gordon UFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs
WR Frankie Hammond ERFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs
TE Demetrius Harris ERFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs
T Ryan Harris UFA Kansas City Chiefs Denver Broncos
WR Junior Hemingway ERFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs
LB Justin Houston UFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs
C Rodney Hudson UFA Kansas City Chiefs Oakland Raiders
G Jeff Linkenbach UFA Kansas City Chiefs Miami Dolphins
WR Jeremy Maclin UFA Philadelphia Eagles Kansas City Chiefs
LB Josh Martin ERFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs
LB Josh Mauga UFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs
FS Kelcie McCray RFA Kansas City Chiefs Seattle Seahawks
RB Joe McKnight UFA Kansas City Chiefs None
CB Chris Owens UFA Kansas City Chiefs New Orleans Saints
CB Ron Parker UFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs
DE Kevin Vickerson UFA Kansas City Chiefs New York Jets
*RFA: Restricted free agent, UFA: Unrestricted free agent, ERFA: Exclusive rights free agent, Franchise: Franchise tag

Draft

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Main article: 2015 NFL draft
2015 Kansas City Chiefs Draft
Round Selection Player Position College
1 18 Marcus Peters Cornerback Washington
2 49 Mitch Morse Guard Missouri
3 76 Chris Conley Wide receiver Georgia
98 Steven Nelson Cornerback Oregon State
4 118 Ramik Wilson Linebacker Georgia
5 172 D. J. Alexander Linebacker Oregon State
173 James O'Shaughnessy Tight End Illinois State
6 217 Rakeem Nuñez-Roches Defensive Tackle Southern Mississippi
7 233 Da'Ron Brown Wide Receiver Northern Illinois
Compensatory selection

Notes

  • The Chiefs traded their fifth-round selection (No. 154 overall) to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for guard Ben Grubbs.
  • The Chiefs traded their 3rd round pick (80th overall) and their 6th round pick (193rd overall) to the Minnesota Vikings for their 3rd round pick (76th overall)

Preseason transactions

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Cuts

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Regular season transactions

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Suspensions served

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Position Player Length Reason Weeks
served
CB Sean Smith 4 games Violation of personal
conduct policy		 1–4

Cuts

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Signings

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Position Player Previous team
TE Brian Parker San Diego Chargers
RB Spencer Ware Kansas City Chiefs*
DL David King Seattle Seahawks
T Jah Reid Baltimore Ravens
T Jarrod Pughsley Kansas City Chiefs*

Players involved in multiple transactions

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This list is for players who were involved in more than one transaction during the season

Position Player Final status
LB Dezman Moses Chiefs active roster
WR Frankie Hammond Chiefs active roster
WR Saalim Hakim Free agent
OL Daniel Munyer Chiefs active roster

*Indicates player was signed off the practice squad of the team listed

Staff

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2015 Kansas City Chiefs staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning


Final roster

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2015 Kansas City Chiefs roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
52 active, 9 reserve, 9 practice squad

Preseason

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 15 at Arizona Cardinals W 34–19 1–0 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap
2 August 21 Seattle Seahawks W 14–13 2–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
3 August 28 Tennessee Titans W 34–10 3–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
4 September 3 at St. Louis Rams W 24–17 4–0 Edward Jones Dome Recap

Game summaries

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Week 1: at Arizona Cardinals

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Week 1: Kansas City Chiefs at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 0 17 14334
Cardinals 10 0 0919

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

Week 2: vs. Seattle Seahawks

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Week 2: Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 0 10 3013
Chiefs 0 7 7014

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: August 21
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 84 °F (29 °C)
  • Game attendance: 71,915
  • Referee: Alex Kemp
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 3: vs. Tennessee Titans

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Week 3: Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Titans 0 10 0010
Chiefs 9 8 31434

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: August 28
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 77 °F (25 °C)
  • Game attendance: 69,813
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 4: at St. Louis Rams

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Week 4: Kansas City Chiefs at St. Louis Rams – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 7 10 7024
Rams 14 3 0017

at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

  • Date: September 3
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 37,616
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Regular season

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 13 at Houston Texans W 27–20 1–0 NRG Stadium Recap
2 September 17 Denver Broncos L 24–31 1–1 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
3 September 28 at Green Bay Packers L 28–38 1–2 Lambeau Field Recap
4 October 4 at Cincinnati Bengals L 21–36 1–3 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
5 October 11 Chicago Bears L 17–18 1–4 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
6 October 18 at Minnesota Vikings L 10–16 1–5 TCF Bank Stadium Recap
7 October 25 Pittsburgh Steelers W 23–13 2–5 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
8 November 1 Detroit Lions W 45–10 3–5 United Kingdom Wembley Stadium (London) Recap
9 Bye
10 November 15 at Denver Broncos W 29–13 4–5 Sports Authority Field at Mile High Recap
11 November 22 at San Diego Chargers W 33–3 5–5 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
12 November 29 Buffalo Bills W 30–22 6–5 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
13 December 6 at Oakland Raiders W 34–20 7–5 O.co Coliseum Recap
14 December 13 San Diego Chargers W 10–3 8–5 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
15 December 20 at Baltimore Ravens W 34–14 9–5 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
16 December 27 Cleveland Browns W 17–13 10–5 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
17 January 3 Oakland Raiders W 23–17 11–5 Arrowhead Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

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Week 1: at Houston Texans

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Week 1: Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 14 13 0027
Texans 6 3 01120

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

With the win, the Chiefs started their 2015 campaign at 1–0.

Week 2: vs. Denver Broncos

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Week 2: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Broncos 0 14 31431
Chiefs 0 14 3724

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

The Broncos would score two touchdowns in the final minute to steal the win from the Chiefs. The second touchdown was a critical fumble by running back Jamaal Charles.

With the heartbreaking and stunning loss, the Chiefs fell to 1–1, and picked up their seventh straight loss to Denver.

Week 3: at Green Bay Packers

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Week 3: Kansas City Chiefs at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 0 7 71428
Packers 14 10 7738

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

In a rematch of the 2011 game, the Chiefs fell to 1–2. This was also their first loss at Lambeau Field, as well their first loss in Wisconsin.

Week 4: at Cincinnati Bengals

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Week 4: Kansas City Chiefs at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 3 9 3621
Bengals 14 0 15736

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

Game information

Cairo Santos would kick 7 field goals in this game, setting a new franchise record for most field goals in one game by a Kansas City kicker. The 7 kicks also tied an NFL record. However, the 7 field goals by Santos were not enough to beat the Bengals, as the Chiefs fell to 1–3.

Week 5: vs. Chicago Bears

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Week 5: Chicago Bears at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bears 3 0 31218
Chiefs 7 10 0017

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

The Chiefs would build a 17–3 lead at one point, but Chicago would pull off a miraculous comeback to win 18–17. The Chiefs tried a 66-yard field goal, but Santos kick went wide right and missed everything near the goalposts. During this game, the Bears fans at times outnumbered the Chiefs fans, as Chicago fans are best known for good travel.

With the loss, Kansas City fell to 1–4. They would also lose Jamaal Charles for the season, as he tore his ACL in this game.

Week 6: at Minnesota Vikings

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Week 6: Kansas City Chiefs at Minnesota Vikings  – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 0 0 01010
Vikings 3 7 3316

at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

With their fifth straight loss, the Chiefs fell to 1–5.

Week 7: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

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Week 7: Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 3 0 7313
Chiefs 3 6 7723

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: October 25
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 58 °F (14 °C)
  • Game attendance: 76,365
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Stacey Dales
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Ben Roethlisberger would not play in this game for the Steelers, so backup quarterback Landry Jones led the way for the Steelers. In his first career start, the Chiefs defense would force 3 turnovers, 2 of them interceptions, and the Chiefs would hold on to win 23–13.

With the win, the Chiefs improved to 2–5.

Week 8: vs. Detroit Lions

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NFL International Series

Week 8: Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 3 0 0710
Chiefs 7 17 71445

at Wembley Stadium, London, England

  • Date: November 1
  • Game time: 2:30 p.m. GMT/8:30 a.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 50 °F (10 °C)
  • Game attendance: 83,624
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

In their first ever game in London, the Chiefs routed the crestfallen 1–6 Detroit Lions. With the win, Kansas City improved to 3–5.

Week 10: at Denver Broncos

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Week 10: Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 10 9 3729
Broncos 0 0 01313

at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

  • Date: November 15
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST/2:25 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: Mostly sunny, 64 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 76,973
  • Referee: Gene Steratore
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Jamie Erdahl
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning would set the all-time record for most passing yards in NFL history in this game, but the Chiefs defense would have themselves a day, picking off Bronco quarterbacks five times, four on Manning, one on Brock Osweiler, and the Chiefs routed the Broncos, 29–13.

With the win, the Chiefs went to 4–5, and snapped their seven-game losing streak against the Broncos.

Week 11: at San Diego Chargers

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Week 11: Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 6 6 71433
Chargers 0 3 003

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: November 22
  • Game time: 3:05 p.m. CST/1:05 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 87 °F (31 °C)
  • Game attendance: 65,837
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Solomon Wilcots
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

With the huge win, Kansas City went to 5–5, and climbed back into playoff contention.

Week 12: vs. Buffalo Bills

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Week 12: Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bills 10 6 6022
Chiefs 0 14 10630

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: November 29
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy and rainy, 35 °F (2 °C)
  • Game attendance: 72,493
  • Referee: Terry McAulay
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

With the win, Kansas City went to 6–5.

Week 13: at Oakland Raiders

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Week 13: Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 7 0 72034
Raiders 7 7 6020

at O.co Coliseum, Oakland, California

  • Date: December 6
  • Game time: 3:05 p.m. CST/1:05 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Overcast, 57 °F (14 °C)
  • Game attendance: 55,010
  • Referee: Craig Wrolstad
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Jamie Erdahl
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

With the win, the Chiefs went to 7–5.

Week 14: vs. San Diego Chargers

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Week 14: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 0 303
Chiefs 0 10 0010

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

With the low-scoring win, the Chiefs went to 8–5 and swept the Chargers for the second straight season.

Week 15: at Baltimore Ravens

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Week 15: Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 14 10 01034
Ravens 7 7 0014

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: December 20
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 41 °F (5 °C)
  • Game attendance: 70,791
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon and Chris Fischer
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Rookie Marcus Peters would put the dagger into the Ravens, as he returned an interception 90 yards for a touchdown. With the win, the Chiefs went to 9–5.

Week 16: vs. Cleveland Browns

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Week 16: Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Browns 0 3 7313
Chiefs 10 7 0017

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: December 27
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 36 °F (2 °C)
  • Game attendance: 69,115
  • Referee: Walt Anderson
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

The Browns, led by Johnny Manziel, attempted a comeback to put a stop to Kansas City's playoff hopes, but Cleveland did not have any timeouts remaining, and they ultimately ran out of time when Manziel couldn't advance the ball down the field fast enough.

With the win, the Chiefs went to 10–5 and clinched a playoff spot.

Week 17: vs. Oakland Raiders

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Week 17: Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Raiders 0 10 0717
Chiefs 14 0 9023

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: January 3, 2016
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 37 °F (3 °C)
  • Game attendance: 76,114
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

With their 10th straight win, the Chiefs ended their season at 11–5. They were the first team to end a season with 10 or more consecutive wins since the 2012 Broncos won 11 in a row to end their season.

Standings

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Division

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AFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(1) Denver Broncos 12 4 0 .750 4–2 8–4 355 296 W2
(5) Kansas City Chiefs 11 5 0 .688 5–1 10–2 405 287 W10
Oakland Raiders 7 9 0 .438 3–3 7–5 359 399 L1
San Diego Chargers 4 12 0 .250 0–6 3–9 320 398 L2

Conference

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AFC
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division Leaders
1[a] Denver Broncos West 12 4 0 .750 4–2 8–4 .500 .479 W2
2[a] New England Patriots East 12 4 0 .750 4–2 9–3 .473 .448 L2
3[a] Cincinnati Bengals North 12 4 0 .750 5–1 9–3 .477 .406 W1
4 Houston Texans South 9 7 0 .563 5–1 7–5 .496 .410 W3
Wild Cards
5 Kansas City Chiefs West 11 5 0 .688 5–1 10–2 .496 .432 W10
6[b] Pittsburgh Steelers North 10 6 0 .625 3–3 7–5 .504 .463 W1
Did not qualify for the postseason
7[b] New York Jets East 10 6 0 .625 3–3 7–5 .441 .388 L1
8[c] Buffalo Bills East 8 8 0 .500 4–2 7–5 .508 .438 W2
9[c] Indianapolis Colts South 8 8 0 .500 4–2 6–6 .500 .406 W2
10 Oakland Raiders West 7 9 0 .438 3–3 7–5 .512 .366 L1
11 Miami Dolphins East 6 10 0 .375 1–5 4–8 .469 .469 W2
12[d] Jacksonville Jaguars South 5 11 0 .313 2–4 5–7 .473 .375 L3
13[d] Baltimore Ravens North 5 11 0 .313 3–3 4–8 .508 .425 L1
14 San Diego Chargers West 4 12 0 .250 0–6 3–9 .527 .328 L2
15[e] Cleveland Browns North 3 13 0 .188 1–5 2–10 .531 .271 L3
16[e] Tennessee Titans South 3 13 0 .188 1–5 1–11 .492 .375 L4
Tiebreakers[f]
  1. ^ a b c Denver finished ahead of New England and Cincinnati for the No. 1 seed based on head-to-head sweep. New England finished ahead of Cincinnati for the No. 2 seed based
    on record vs. common opponents — New England's cumulative record against Buffalo, Denver, Houston and Pittsburgh was 4–1, while Cincinnati's cumulative record against
    the same four teams was 2–3.
  2. ^ a b Pittsburgh finished ahead of the New York Jets for the No. 6 seed and qualified for the last playoff spot based on record vs. common opponents — Pittsburgh's cumulative
    record against Cleveland, Indianapolis, New England and Oakland was 4–1, while the Jets' cumulative record against the same four teams was 3–2.
  3. ^ a b Buffalo finished ahead of Indianapolis based on head-to-head victory.
  4. ^ a b Jacksonville finished ahead of Baltimore based on head-to-head victory.
  5. ^ a b Cleveland finished ahead of Tennessee based on head-to-head victory.
  6. ^ 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

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See also: 2015–16 NFL playoffs

Schedule

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Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Recap
Wild Card January 9 at Houston Texans (4) W 30–0 1–0 NRG Stadium Recap
Divisional January 16 at New England Patriots (2) L 20–27 1–1 Gillette Stadium Recap

Game summaries

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AFC Wild Card Playoffs: at (4) Houston Texans

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AFC Wild Card Playoffs: (5) Kansas City Chiefs at (4) Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 7 6 71030
Texans 0 0 000

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

The Texans, who won the AFC South division with a 9–7 record, were completely crushed by the Chiefs. The Chiefs were the first team since the 2006 Bears to score a kick return touchdown on the opening play of the playoffs, when Knile Davis returned the opening kick 106 yards for a touchdown. After that, the game started to slow down, with both teams going three-and-out before a string of turnovers, Eric Berry's interception of Brian Hoyer, Brian Cushing's interception of Alex Smith two plays later, and a Hoyer fumble recovered by Dontari Poe on the ensuing drive. The Chiefs made a field goal on the drive, and although the team was able to get to the 2-yard line, a negative run by J. J. Watt and another interception by Hoyer ended the Texans' closest chance at scoring in the entire game. Although the Texans' defense forced a three-and-out, Hoyer threw his third interception to Marcus Peters on the second play of their drive.

The win was Kansas City’s first playoff win since 1993, ironically in The Astrodome.

AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (2) New England Patriots

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AFC Divisional Playoffs: (5) Kansas City Chiefs at (2) New England Patriots  – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 3 3 7720
Patriots 7 7 7627

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Game information

The Chiefs, who had won 11 straight, travelled to Gillete Stadium to face the Patriots, who had advanced to the AFC Championship for the last five years. The Patriots scored first blood with a Rob Gronkowski touchdown catch, followed by a Cairo Santos field goal for Kansas City. The pattern was duplicated in the second quarter, with Tom Brady rushing for a score before Santos kicked another field goal. In the third quarter, after Gronkowski scored his second TD, Alex Smith threw his first to Albert Wilson. The Patriots responded with two fourth-quarter field goals to make the score 27–13 with 10:20 left. Although the Chiefs engineered a touchdown drive late in the game, the drive took up over 5 minutes, and the Chiefs had to force a three-and-out (with three timeouts) to have a chance. On second down, when Brady threw the ball instead of running it to waste time, the ball was batted and miraculously caught by Julian Edelman for a first down, ending the game.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Chiefs earn playoff berth with win over Browns". NFL.com.
  2. ^ "Chiefs clinch playoffs on nailbiter, win ninth straight after 1-5 start". Sports.Yahoo.com.
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