2015 AFC Championship Title

Lore & Background

The team began play as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960 as the Dallas Texans. In 1963, the team relocated to Kansas City, Missouri and was renamed the Kansas City Chiefs. The Texans/Chiefs were the winningest team in the history of the AFL, compiling an 87–48 record from 1960 to 1969. The team won three league championships and served as the AFL's representative in Super Bowls I and IV in the 1966 and 1969 seasons. Since the franchise's alignment to the NFL in 1970, they have won 14 division titles, with eight straight from 2016 to 2023, and eight wild card playoff berths. The Chiefs did not win a postseason game between the 1993 and 2015 playoffs, and their Super Bowl IV victory on January 11, 1970, was the franchise's lone Super Bowl title until Super Bowl LIV on February 2, 2020. Their appearance in the 2018 playoffs was their first AFC Championship game since 1993. The Chiefs' first home AFC Championship game ended in an overtime defeat as the New England Patriots moved on to win a record-tying sixth Super Bowl ring.

In Their Own Story

The cold January wind whipped through Arrowhead Stadium as the fourth quarter clock ticked down, the roar of the crowd a constant hum of anxiety. Alex Smith lay motionless on the turf after a brutal hit, the silence of the stadium momentarily broken only by the whistling of referees. As Matt Cassel stepped onto the field, wiping sweat and blood from his brow, he looked out at a sea of red jerseys that refused to surrender. Every snap felt heavier than the last, the weight of fourteen years pressing down on shoulders clad in white and gold pads. The gridiron was a battlefield where dreams were forged in collisions, and even in defeat, the spirit of the Chiefs burned brighter than the stadium lights.

Reader's Guide

The Chiefs have suffered two main periods of failure. Between 1972 and 1985 the Chiefs never appeared in the postseason and achieved only one winning season (in 1981) from 1974 until 1985. Between 2007 and 2012, the Chiefs also struggled, with two two-win and two four-win seasons. However, the recent Chiefs have done much better, with an 161–61 record (including postseason) and recording more wins than losses every year from the 2013 to 2024 seasons. In their 11 seasons under Andy Reid, the Chiefs have ten consecutive playoff seasons and nine consecutive division titles. The team competed in five Super Bowls, with three wins (LIV, LVII, LVIII) and two losses (LV, LIX). Their victory in 2023 represented the first time since the 2004 New England Patriots a team repeated as champions.

Did You Know?

• The Chiefs' 15–2 season in 2024 remains their best regular season record to date.
• Their 2–14 records in 2008 and 2012 remain their worst.
• The team has played in over 1,000 total games across 65 seasons, with a winning percentage of .553.