"Sunday's loss to the Chargers -- complete with quarterback Patrick Mahomes tearing his ACL in the final minutes -- combined with early-window victories by the Bills, Jaguars and Texans, means the AFC playoffs will be Chiefs-free for the first time in 11 years. It means the AFC Championship Game will be contested without the Chiefs for the first time in eight years."
"It also means opportunity for ... well, pretty much everybody else. The Chiefs have been such a presence in our collective NFL consciousness for so long that the playoffs are going to feel weird without them. But there was nothing particularly fluky about this. There are plenty of teams this season that are better than the Chiefs, and this week was consequential for many of them."
Kansas City failed to qualify for the AFC playoffs for the first time in 11 years after a loss to the Chargers in which Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL in the final minutes. Early-window victories by the Bills, Jaguars and Texans eliminated Kansas City from postseason contention. The AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl will be contested without the Chiefs for the first time in eight and four years respectively. The streak-ending result marks the pause of a historic run, leaving Andy Reid, Mahomes & Co. to regroup and aim for a 2026 return. Multiple AFC teams have emerged as stronger contenders this season.
Read at ESPN.com
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