Chiefs fans optimistic heading into regular season finale, playoffs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The new year begins for Kansas City Chiefs fans with a new perspective.
Sunday’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals seals up the AFC West Division championship for the eighth year in a row.
The Chiefs’ overall record (10-6) leaves them outside the race for the AFC’s top playoff position. This means if Kansas City keeps winning, it would result in a postseason game away from Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs’ regular season ends with a road game against the Chargers in Los Angeles this Sunday. The next time Chiefs Kingdom meets at Arrowhead Stadium, it will start a postseason run like the club hasn’t seen since Patrick Mahomes arrived in 2017.
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When the Chiefs win big games, more customers visit stores like the Ward Parkway Rally House location on the Country Club Plaza. Tried and true Chiefs fanatic Aaron Lewis manages the store.
Sunday’s 25-17 victory for the Chiefs over Cincinnati wasn’t the Chiefs best showing this season, but it snapped a three-game home losing streak for Mahomes and his teammates. It also restored the hopes for a lot of hardcore Chiefs fans with one game to go in the regular season.
“I think it’s a totally different caliber of team when you get Travis Kelce and Chris Jones and those guys on a totally different level when the playoffs come,” Lewis said Monday. “I think they’re built different when they come into the playoffs.”
However, the Chiefs missed out on taking the AFC’s overall top seed. The Baltimore Ravens own home field advantage, something Kansas City supporters are accustomed to owning.
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Regardless, Chiefs fans are confident, even though Mahomes has never played a playoff game on the road outside of a Super Bowl.
“If they play like they did yesterday, in my opinion, they’re going to go a few weeks in whether it’s at home or on the road,” said Steve McKay, a Chiefs fan from Georgia. “Taking Patrick and the boys on the road, that’s going to be a true test.”
“You’re going to have to tighten some things up. They’re going to have to play differently and be a little more strategic, knowing the fans will be out here carrying them on, but they’re going to have to show up on the road,” said Nastasia Tebeck, a Chiefs fan hailing from Washington.
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The last time the Chiefs played on the road in the playoffs was 2015. Alex Smith was still this team’s quarterback, and Mahomes wouldn’t be drafted for another two years.
The NFL’s Wildcard Weekend is scheduled for January 13-14. The Chiefs opponent is yet to be determined. Tickets are still available.
