Sunday update: The Titans beat the Texans 28-25, which means they secured the No. 1 seed. The Chiefs will be the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. They’ll host a first round game and if they win, they’re guaranteed to host a second round game.
Saturday update: The Chiefs beat the Broncos 28-24. That locks in the Chiefs at no worse than the No. 2 seed and potentially the No. 1 seed if the Titans lose.
The Kansas City Chiefs are the 2021 AFC West champions and will spend Week 18 attempting to secure the No. 1 seed in the conference. The team is 11-5 and tied with the Tennessee Titans atop the AFC.
The Titans have the head-to-head tiebreaker, so a Titans win forecloses the Chiefs’ chance at the top seed and the bye that comes with. But, there is value in the No. 2 seed, with home field in the Wild Card round and if they advance, home field in the Divisional Round.
The Chiefs travel to face the Denver Broncos to close out the season. The Chiefs are a 10.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook. Relevant games in Week 18 impacting the Chiefs seeding possibilities include:
Chiefs @ Broncos
Titans @ Texans
Bengals @ Browns
Patriots @ Dolphins
Jets @ Bills
All seeding possibilities are broken down through NFLPlayoffScenarios.com.
How they can be No. 1 seed
Chiefs win + Titans loss or tie, ORChiefs tie + Titans loss
How they can be No. 2 seed
- Chiefs win + Titans win, OR
Chiefs tie + Titans win/tie, ORChiefs loss + Bengals loss/tie + Bills loss/tie + Patriots loss/tie
How they can be No. 3 seed
Chiefs loss + Bengals win + Bills loss/tie + Patriots loss/tie, ORChiefs loss + Bengals loss/tie + Bills win, ORChiefs loss + Bengals loss/tie + Patriots win
How they can be No. 4 seed
Chiefs loss + Bengals win + Bills win, ORChiefs loss + Bengals win + Patriots win