How soon can the Chiefs clinch the AFC West?
Nov 27, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) congratulates players coming off the field against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
The Kansas City Chiefs are now 9-2 on the season and hold a sizable lead in the AFC West. Here’s how soon they can clinch the division title.
Remember when the AFC West was supposed to be significantly harder for the Kansas City Chiefs after all of the additions their rivals in the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, and Las Vegas Raiders made this offseason. Good times. Instead, the division has drastically underperformed, while the Chiefs have shown that they can still be a juggernaut even without wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
On Sunday, Kansas City clinched their ninth win of the season by defeating a Los Angeles Rams without Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp 26-10. That helped them inch closer to winning the AFC West title for the seventh-consecutive year.
However, they didn’t get much help from the Arizona Cardinals, as they blew a 24-17 lead with under two minutes remaining to lose 25-24 to the Los Angeles Chargers.
The division title is essentially Kansas City’s to lose. Here’s how soon they can clinch it.
How soon can Chiefs clinch AFC West title?
The Chiefs’ magic number sits at three following their win and the Chargers’ clutch victory. That means the Chiefs need any combination of their own wins and Chargers losses. So, the absolute earliest the team can win the division is Week 14.
Kansas City plays the Cincinnati Bengals and Broncos in the next two weeks. Los Angeles, on the other hand, face the Raiders and Miami Dolphins.
These are the combinations that Kansas City would need to clinch the AFC West by Week 14:
- Two KC wins and one LAC loss
- One KC win and two LAC losses
Kansas City already holds the tiebreaker over Los Angeles considering they won both of their head-to-head matchups this season. So barring an epic collapse by the Chiefs, the AFC West should be theirs, considering they hold a three game lead over the Chargers after Week 12.
