Pittsburgh Steelers

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The 2017 season saw significant front-office changes: general manager John Dorsey was fired on June 22, 2017, and on July 10, the Chiefs promoted co-director of player personnel Brett Veach to general manager. The only other personnel change was co-offensive coordinator Brad Childress being promoted to assistant head coach, leaving Matt Nagy as the sole offensive coordinator. The Chiefs' most notable transaction was releasing franchise all-time leading rusher Jamaal Charles after nine seasons; Charles then signed with division rival Denver Broncos. Following a Week 4 loss by the Atlanta Falcons to the Buffalo Bills, the Chiefs became the last undefeated team in the NFL for the fourth time in team history and the second time under Andy Reid, with previous instances in 2003, 2010, and 2013. After a 5–0 start, the Chiefs lost six of their next seven games, the lone win coming against the Broncos. During this stretch, head coach Andy Reid gave play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.

In Their Own Story

After four straight losses, the Chiefs won three straight games to win the AFC West for the second consecutive season, marking the first time in franchise history they won back-to-back division titles. It also marked the Chiefs qualifying for the playoffs three consecutive seasons, something they had not done since making six straight playoff appearances from 1990 to 1995. They finished 10–6, earning the AFC's fourth seed. In the wild-card round, they lost to the Tennessee Titans 22–21 after holding a 21–3 halftime lead but failing to score in the second half. The loss extended their NFL-record six straight home playoff losses. It was the second time under Andy Reid they lost a playoff game after being up by more than 10 points at halftime. The Chiefs' first two wins of the season came against teams that eventually met in Super Bowl LII: the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles. Additionally, by beating the Patriots in Week 1, the Chiefs extended their winning streak against the defending Super Bowl champions to six.

Reader's Guide

The Chiefs had six players ranked in NFL Network's annual Top 100 players list, tied for the third most. In the draft, the Chiefs traded their first-round selection (27th overall), third-round selection (91st overall), and their 2018 first-round selection to the Buffalo Bills for the 10th overall pick. They also traded tight end James O'Shaughnessy and a sixth-round pick to the New England Patriots for a fifth-round pick. The Chiefs forfeited their original sixth-round selection as part of punishment for violating the NFL's Anti-Tampering policy during the 2015 free agency period. In Week 7 at Oakland, the Raiders scored the game-winning touchdown after multiple holding penalties on Kansas City forced several untimed downs after time expired. In Week 17 at Denver, Patrick Mahomes made his first regular-season start; it was later announced that Mahomes would be the Chiefs' starting quarterback for the 2018 season after Alex Smith was traded to the Washington Redskins for cornerback Kendall Fuller.

Did You Know?

• The Chiefs became the last undefeated team in the NFL for the fourth time in team history in 2017, after the Atlanta Falcons lost to the Buffalo Bills in Week 4.
• The Chiefs' first two wins of the 2017 season came against teams that eventually met in Super Bowl LII: the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles.
• The Chiefs extended their winning streak against the defending Super Bowl champions to six by beating the New England Patriots in Week 1.
• The Chiefs lost their sixth straight home playoff game in 2017, the worst such streak in NFL history.
• Patrick Mahomes' first regular-season start came in Week 17 against the Denver Broncos, a game with no playoff implications as the Chiefs had secured the division in Week 16.