The Kansas City Chiefs, winners of a jaw-dropping overtime classic last Thursday against the L.A. Chargers find themselves on the verge of history as the hunt for a sixth straight AFC West title seems all but certain.
The Chiefs are currently riding a five-year division win streak. Prior to 2017, Kansas City had never won back-to-back division titles dating back to the division’s inception back in 1960.
The dominance being displayed currently has only been duplicated twice. The Oakland Raiders won five straight from 1972-1976 and the Denver Broncos won five from 2011 to 2015. As of today, there has yet to be a team that has won six, which is very likely to change in just a few weeks time.
If the Chargers win out, the Chiefs simply need to win two of its next three games to secure the division and make AFC West history. After that is complete, the franchise can look towards beating New England’s impressive 11 division streak that lasted from 2009-2019.
AFC West Champions Breakdown
| Team | AFL/AFC West Division Championships | Playoff Berths | AFC Conference Championships* | AFL Championships† | Super Bowl Championships | Total Championships‡ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos | 15 | 22 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Chiefs | 13 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Raiders | 16 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Chargers | 15 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals | 86 | 18 | 2 | 8 | 12 |
Strangely, the Chiefs currently trail the Chargers, Broncos and Raiders with regards to total number of division championships and it is also of note that the Seattle Seahawks (which were in the division from 1977-2001) won two titles during that span. Kansas City would be pursuing its 15th title, however, due to a devastating week 17 loss to the Raiders in 1999, the Seahawks won the division at 9-7.
