Through the 13 weeks of the 2025 NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs find themselves in a precarious situation. At 6-6, they’re currently just the 10th seed in the AFC, well outside of the playoff picture. They’ll have to run the table in the majority of the campaign just to get to 11 wins, which might not even be enough to guarantee themselves a postseason bid.

At this point, the Chiefs do not control their own destiny. They’ll need help from several teams around the league just to give themselves another shot at the Super Bowl. Even winning out might not lock up a playoff spot. And yet, Kansas City still has a chance to win the AFC West outright. The odds are long, and it would require everything to break right for the Chiefs, but it’s not impossible for them to play a postseason game at home this year.

Chiefs are still alive

At 6-6, the Kansas City Chiefs are several steps behind in the AFC West standings. They’re currently two full games behind the 8-4 Los Angeles Chargers, and four back from the 10-2 Denver Broncos. Surpassing LA is certainly still in the cards, although losing their first head-to-head matchup makes it a bit more difficult.

Still, if the Chiefs can tie the season series against the Chargers in Week 15, they could be in decent shape. They would just need LA to lose two of its other four games versus the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, or Denver Broncos. That’s a gauntlet in the final stretch of the campaign. If the Chargers play anything like they did in their 35-6 blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in any of those remaining contests, the Chiefs could easily pass them in the standings.

The Chiefs can still win the AFC West.

Requirements:

1. Chiefs win out.

2. Broncos go 1-3 against the Chargers, Jaguars, Commanders and Packers.

This gives the Chiefs the three seed via ESPN Playoff Predictor. pic.twitter.com/TGVbgvZAxt

— 📽️ Red Tribe Cinema (@ClayWendler) November 29, 2025

However, if KC is to win the AFC West, they’d actually prefer if LA beats Denver in Week 18. To finish at the top of the division, the Chiefs have to win all five of their remaining games, including their head-to-head against the Broncos.

They’d also need Denver to lose to Los Angeles and two of their other three matchups (Las Vegas Raiders, Green Bay Packers, or Jacksonville Jaguars). It’s not out of the realm of possibility to envision them falling short versus the Chargers, Packers, and Jaguars, but it’s not anything to bank on. Regardless, the Chiefs have to stay focused on their main goal: winning out to give themselves a shot at the postseason.