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NFL/Teams/Kansas City Chiefs
FRANCHISE

NFL franchise story

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs began as an AFL power, endured long postseason frustration and then paired Andy Reid with Patrick Mahomes to create the defining dynasty of the current NFL.

Every era · The defining players · Five essential games

The franchise timeline

Every era of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Move through the franchise chronologically. The jerseys identify each chapter’s central cast, and every card opens the complete story of that era.

Historical reference: Kansas City Chiefs official NFL team page ↗
The beginning↓
01▼

Franchise era

1960—1969

01
KCDAWSON16Len Dawson
KCBUCHANAN—Buck Buchanan
KCTAYLOR—Otis Taylor

An AFL founder reaches two early Super Bowls

The Dallas Texans become champions

Lamar Hunt's Texans won the 1962 AFL title, moved to Kansas City and later legitimized the league by dominating Super Bowl IV.

Read the era story →

Chapter 01

1960—1969

02▼

Franchise era

1970—1988

02
KCLANIER—Willie Lanier
KCSTILL—Art Still
KCCARSON—Carlos Carson

A proud defense cannot rebuild the champion

The long quiet stretch

Kansas City made the playoffs only once in nineteen seasons as the original stars aged and the offense struggled to find direction.

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Chapter 02

1970—1988

03▼

Franchise era

1989—1998

03
KCTHOMAS58Derrick Thomas
KCSMITH90Neil Smith
KCALLEN32Marcus Allen

Defense and power make the Chiefs a fixture

Martyball restores Arrowhead

Marty Schottenheimer and Thomas produced seven playoff appearances and one of football's loudest home advantages, though no Super Bowl trip followed.

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Chapter 03

1989—1998

04▼

Franchise era

1999—2012

04
KCGONZALEZ88Tony Gonzalez
KCHOLMES31Priest Holmes
KCSHIELDS68Will Shields

Priest Holmes and an elite line light up Sundays

Great offenses, painful Januarys

Kansas City built record-setting offenses but remained unable to win a playoff game, then bottomed out before a transformative coaching hire.

Read the era story →

Chapter 04

1999—2012

05▼

Franchise era

2013—2017

05
KCSMITH11Alex Smith
KCCHARLES25Jamaal Charles
KCKELCE87Travis Kelce

Structure and speed end the playoff drought

Reid builds the platform

Andy Reid immediately restored winning, developed Kelce and Tyreek Hill, and created the environment for a young quarterback to take over.

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Chapter 05

2013—2017

06

Franchise era

2018—present

06
KCMAHOMES15Patrick Mahomes
KCKELCE87Travis Kelce
KCJONES95Chris Jones

Improvisation, adaptability and annual championship stakes

The Mahomes dynasty

Mahomes won MVP in his first season as starter and Kansas City converted his unmatched creation into repeated Super Bowl trips and multiple championships.

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Chapter 06

2018—present

◆Present day

The essential watchlist

Five Kansas City Chiefs games to start with.

Curated from the franchise’s defining eras, championship stakes and the games that still carry its story.

#01 · Conference Championship

Conference Championship
2021
BUFFALOBILLS
KANSAS CITYCHIEFS
JAN 23, 2022

Bills vs Chiefs

Jan 23, 2022

#02 · Super Bowl LVIII

Super Bowl
LVIII
KANSAS CITYCHIEFS
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
FEB 11, 2024

Chiefs vs 49ers

Feb 11, 2024

#03 · Super Bowl

Super Bowl
IV
KANSAS CITYCHIEFS
MINNESOTAVIKINGS
1970-01-11

Kansas City Chiefs vs Minnesota Vikings

1970-01-11

#04 · Divisional Round

Divisional Round
1971
MIAMIDOLPHINS
KANSAS CITYCHIEFS
1971-12-25

Miami Dolphins vs Kansas City Chiefs

1971-12-25

#05 · Divisional Round

Divisional Round
1993
KANSAS CITYCHIEFS
HOUSTONOILERS
1994-01-16

Kansas City Chiefs vs Houston Oilers

1994-01-16

Season history

Every season

67 seasons · newest first

Game archive

Latest games

1,082 total · loaded 10 at a time