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2021 Kansas City Chiefs season

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2021 Kansas City Chiefs season
OwnerThe Hunt family
General managerBrett Veach
Head coachAndy Reid
Home fieldArrowhead Stadium
Results
Record12–5
Division place1st AFC West
Playoff finishWon Wild Card Playoffs
(vs. Steelers) 42–21
Won Divisional Playoffs
(vs. Bills) 42–36 (OT)
Lost AFC Championship
(vs. Bengals) 24–27 (OT)
Pro Bowlers
7
AP All-Pros
2
Team MVPTyrann Mathieu
Team ROYNick Bolton
Uniform

The 2021 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 52nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 62nd overall and their ninth under head coach Andy Reid, looking to become the fourth team in NFL history to make three straight Super Bowls.

The Chiefs started off slowly at 3–4 but would finish the regular season 12–5, winning the AFC West division title for the sixth consecutive season. The Chiefs would host their fourth straight conference championship but lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime 27–24.[1][2]

This would be the final season with long-time wide receiver Tyreek Hill, as he was traded to the Miami Dolphins on March 23, 2022. A 6-time Pro Bowler during his time with Kansas City, Hill's final game with the Chiefs was on January 30, 2022, the aforementioned AFC Championship Game vs. the Bengals.

Head coach Andy Reid recorded his 100th win as the Chiefs head coach on October 3, 2021, a 42–30 win over his former team, Philadelphia Eagles. Reid became the first coach in NFL history to win 100 games as a head coach with multiple teams as well as the first to lead multiple teams to four straight Conference Championships, previously doing so with the Eagles from the 2001 to 2004 seasons.

Season summary

On March 4, 2021, the Chiefs announced that they had officially renamed Arrowhead Stadium, GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.[3]

The Chiefs lost two of their longest tenured players in the offseason. Tackle Eric Fisher was released[4] and fullback Anthony Sherman retired.[5] Both players joined the Chiefs in 2013.

In the offseason, the Chiefs announced they would once again retire their live horse mascot Warpaint to continue with their commitment to stop using Native American imagery.[6]

The Chiefs hosting the Raiders on December 12, a game in which they would win 48–9. It was the franchise's largest victory over their rival.

The Chiefs opened the season on September 12 with a 33–29 victory over the Cleveland Browns. The win was the Chiefs' 15th consecutive win in September.[7] The Chiefs would lose their next two games to give them a 1–2 record after three games, which was their first losing record in 89 games, dating back to week 10 of the 2015 season.[8] The Chiefs' 20–38 week 5 loss to the Buffalo Bills, was the Chiefs' first double-digit loss in the regular season since 2017 and the Chiefs' first double-digit loss at home since 2014. In Week 7, the Chiefs lost 3–27 to the Tennessee Titans, which is the fewest points scored in a game since Patrick Mahomes became the quarterback. The Chiefs maintained a non-winning record until a week 9 victory over the Green Bay Packers. That 7-week stretch without a winning record was the Chiefs' longest stretch without a winning record since 2012 when they held a losing record the entire season. After starting the season 3–4, the Chiefs won their ninth game in week 14 over the Las Vegas Raiders clinching their ninth consecutive winning season, one short of the franchise record of 10. The 48–9 victory over the Raiders was the largest in franchise history over the Raiders and the largest victory against any opponent since the 2006 season.[9] In week 16, following a 36–10 victory over the Steelers and a loss by the Chargers, the Chiefs clinched their sixth consecutive AFC West division championship and their franchise record seventh straight playoff berth.[10] The Chiefs finished the regular season 12–5, their fourth consecutive 12-win season, all four since Patrick Mahomes became the starting quarterback.

Kansas City defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 42–21 in the Wild Card round of the 2021–22 NFL playoffs. They would then host Buffalo in the Divisional round, winning that game 42–36 in overtime. This game was hailed as one of the greatest modern NFL playoff games, with both teams combining for 25 points in the final two minutes of regulation.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17] The following week, despite being favored to win the AFC Championship game, the Chiefs would lose the game in an upset to the Bengals in overtime 24–27, a game in which they led 21–3 at one point in the second quarter.

NFL Top 100

Main article: NFL Top 100 Players of 2021

NFL Network began announcing their annual top 100 list on August 15, 2021. Five Chiefs players were named to the list. Defensive end Frank Clark is the only player still on the roster that was ranked the previous season that went unranked for the 2021 season. Tight end Travis Kelce was ranked 5th, which is the highest ranking ever for a tight end in the history of the Top 100. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was ranked 1st on the list, which was the first time a Chiefs player was ranked the number one.

Rank Player Position Change
1 Patrick Mahomes Quarterback Increase3
5 Travis Kelce Tight end Increase13
15 Tyreek Hill Wide receiver Increase7
34 Chris Jones Defensive tackle Increase2
58 Tyrann Mathieu Safety Decrease19

Offseason

Transactions listed below occurred between the day after Super Bowl LV, February 8, and August 14, the day of the Chiefs first preseason game.

Source unless otherwise noted[18]

Coaching staff changes

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Coaching staff changes
Old coach Reason Position New coach
Deland McCullough[19] Accepted job at Indiana[19] Running backs coach Greg Lewis
Britt Reid[20] Contract expired,
not re-signed for
disciplinary reasons[20]		 Linebackers/outside
linebackers coach		 Ken Flajole
Greg Lewis Title change to
Running backs coach		 Wide receivers Joe Bleymaier
Joe Bleymaier Title change to
Wide receivers coach		 Pass game analyst /
assistant quarterbacks		 David Giradi
David Giradi Title change to
Pass game analyst /
Assistant quarterbacks		 Offensive quality control Connor Embree
Connor Embree Title change to
Offensive quality control		 Defensive assistant Donald D'Alesio

Players lost

Below are players who were on the roster at the end of the 2020 season, but were either released or did not re-sign after their contract expired. If a player resigns during the offseason, their name will be removed from the list.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Players lost
Player Position Reason
Le'Veon Bell[21] RB UFA
Bashaud Breeland[22] CB UFA
Alex Brown[23] CB ERFA
Eric Fisher[4] T Released
Antonio Hamilton[24] CB UFA
Tanoh Kpassagnon[25] DE UFA
Kelechi Osemele[26] G UFA
Mike Pennel[27] DT UFA
Martinas Rankin[28] T Released
Austin Reiter[29] C UFA
Mitchell Schwartz[4] T Released
Sammy Watkins[30] WR UFA
Damien Williams[31] RB Released
Damien Wilson[32] LB UFA
Deon Yelder[33] TE RFA

Retirements

Players that were on the Chiefs roster at the end of the season who announced their retirement before the preseason are listed below, even if their contract with the Chiefs had officially expired prior to their announcement.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Retirements
Player Position NFL seasons Seasons with the Chiefs
Anthony Sherman[34] FB 10 8
Nick Keizer[35] TE 4 2
Daniel Kilgore[36] C 10 1

Players added

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Additions
Player Position
Kyle Long G
Joe Thuney G
Blake Bell TE
Anthony Gordon QB
Jordan Ta'amu QB
Gehrig Dieter* WR
Dalton Schoen WR
Chad Williams WR
Antonio Callaway WR
Jody Fortson* TE
Maurice Ffrench* WR
Derrick Gore RB
Sean Culkin TE
Evan Baylis* TE
Prince Tega Wanogho T
Bryan Witzmann* T
Darryl Williams* G
Tyler Clark DT
Demone Harris* DE
Austin Edwards* DE
Omari Cobb* LB
Emmanuel Smith* LB
Deandre Baker* CB
Rodney Clemons S
Jarran Reed DT
Elijah McGuire RB
Michael Burton FB
Austin Blythe C
Tajae Sharpe WR
Kamalei Correa LB
Daurice Fountain WR
Darrius Shepherd WR

*Finished 2020 season on the Chiefs practice squad.

Trades

Listed below are trades were a player was included in the trade.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Trades
Team Received Compensation
Baltimore Ravens T Orlando Brown Jr.
2nd-round selection 2021
6th-round selection 2022		 1st-round selection 2021
3rd-round selection 2021
4th-round selection 2021
5th-round selection 2022
Minnesota Vikings CB Mike Hughes
7th-round selection 2022		 6th-round selection 2022

Draft

Main article: 2021 NFL draft
2021 Kansas City Chiefs Draft
Round Selection Player Position College
2 58 Nick Bolton Linebacker Missouri
63 Creed Humphrey Center Oklahoma
4 144* Joshua Kaindoh Defensive end Florida State
5 162 Noah Gray Tight end Duke
181* Cornell Powell Wide receiver Clemson
6 226 Trey Smith Guard Tennessee
* Compensatory selection

Trades

  • The Chiefs traded a sixth-round selection (213th overall) in the 2021 draft to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a seventh-round selection in the 2020 NFL draft.[37]
  • The Chiefs received a sixth-round selection (207th overall) in the 2021 draft from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a seventh-round selection (258th overall) in the 2021 draft and running back DeAndre Washington.[38]
  • The Chiefs traded their first-round selection (31st overall), third-round selection (94th overall), fourth-round selection (136th overall) in the 2021 draft, and a fifth-round selection in the 2022 NFL draft to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr., a second-round selection (58th overall) in the 2021 draft, and a sixth-round selection in the 2022 NFL draft.[39]
  • The Chiefs traded their fourth-round selection (175th overall) and their sixth-round selection (207th overall) to the New York Jets in exchange for the Jets fourth-round selection (162nd overall) and a sixth-round selection (226th overall).

Undrafted free agents

2021 Kansas City Chiefs UDFAs
Player Position College
Zayne Anderson S BYU
Dicaprio Bootle CB Nebraska
Shane Buechele QB SMU
Marlon Character CB Louisville
Riley Cole LB South Alabama
Malik Herring DE Georgia
Devon Key S Western Kentucky
Jaylon McClain-Sapp CB Marshall
Manny Patterson CB Maine

Signed and released in the offseason

Below are players who were signed and released in the offseason before playing for the team.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Signed and released
Player Position
Sean Culkin TE
Jordan Ta'amu QB
Tajae Sharpe WR
Jaylon McClain-Sapp CB
Kamalei Correa LB
Drew Scott LS

Preseason transactions

Transactions listed below, occurred between August 15, the day after the Chiefs first preseason game, and September 12, the day of the Chiefs first regular season game.

Source for all transactions[18]

Cut to 85

The first preseason roster cutdown occurred on August 17. In addition the transactions below, the Chiefs placed running back Elijah McGuire on injured reserve.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Cut to 85
Name Position
Evan Baylis TE
Antonio Callaway WR
Manny Patterson CB
Chad Williams WR

Cut to 80

The second preseason cutdown occurred on August 24. The Chiefs released or waived five players and did not use reserve lists to make the 80 player limit.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Cut to 80
Name Position
Taco Charlton DE
Will Parks CB
Bryan Witzmann G
Riley Cole LB
Anthony Gordon QB

Final cutdown

The third and final preseason cutdown occurred on August 31. In addition to the transactions below, the Chiefs traded a player, placed Kyle Long on the physically unable to perform list, and placed Malik Herring on the reserve/non-football injury list.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Final Cutdown
Name Position
Zayne Anderson S
Dicaprio Bootle CB
Shane Buechele QB
Marlon Character CB
Tyler Clark DT
Rodney Clemons S
Omari Cobb LB
Austin Edwards DE
Maurice Ffrench WR
Derrick Gore RB
Demone Harris DE
Marcus Kemp WR
Devon Key S
BoPete Keyes CB
Wyatt Miller OT
Cornell Powell WR
Dalton Schoen WR
Darrius Shepherd WR
Emmanuel Smith LB
Darwin Thompson RB
Prince Tega Wanogho OT
Tim Ward DE
Darryl Williams C

Trades

Listed below are trades were a player was included in the trade.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Trades
Team Received Compensation
New England Patriots 7th round selection
2022 NFL draft		 Yasir Durant

Signings

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Signings
Name Position
Marcus Kemp*[40] WR

*Marcus Kemp was initially released during roster cut-downs, but was signed to the practice squad. The day after being signed to the practice squad, he was elevated to the active roster after linebacker Willie Gay was placed on injured reserve

Regular season transactions

Below are transactions that occurred after the Chiefs first game through their final game. Transactions below are only transactions related to the Chiefs active roster. Practice squad transactions will not be included.

Source for transactions through December 31[18]

Source for transactions after January 1[41]

Standard elevations

Standard practice squad elevations allow a player to elevated from the practice squad to the active roster for a single game and revert back to the practice squad following the game. Below are standard elevations used by the Chiefs during the season.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Standard elevations
Name Position Week(s)
used
Zayne Anderson S 1
Dicaprio Bootle CB 4, 14
Demone Harris* DE 5, 6
Darius Harris LB 7, 8
Christian Rozeboom* LB 7
Austin Edwards DE 8
Daurice Fountain WR 11, WC, DV, ACG
Josh Jackson CB 14, 16
Nakia Griffin-Stewart TE 16
Johnny Townsend* P 16
Darwin Thompson RB WC, DV

*No longer on practice squad

Non-standard elevations

Below are players elevated from the practice squad using a non-standard elevation, meaning, if the Chiefs want them to go back to the practice squad, they must clear waivers then sign them back to the practice squad.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Non-Standard elevations
Name Position
Josh Gordon WR
Derrick Gore RB
Prince Tega Wanogho OT
Shane Buechele QB
Zayne Anderson S
Elliott Fry K

Trades

Listed below are trades where a player was included in the trade.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Trades
Team Received Compensation
Pittsburgh Steelers DE Melvin Ingram 6th-round selection
2022 NFL draft
New York Jets TE Daniel Brown G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif

Players cut

2021 Kansas City Chiefs Cuts
Name Position
Darius Harris LB
Daurice Fountain WR
Daniel Brown TE
Elliott Fry K
Josh Gordon WR

Injured reserve activations

Players listed below were activated off injured reserve

2021 Kansas City Chiefs IR Activations
Name Position Date added
to IR		 Date activated
Willie Gay LB September 2 October 9
Clyde Edwards-Helaire RB October 12 November 20
Jerick McKinnon RB November 30 January 1
Joshua Kaindoh DE October 5 January 11
Khalen Saunders DT November 30 January 25

COVID-19 protocols

The following players missed games because of the NFL's COVID-19 protocols. Typically, a player misses because of a positive test. Vaccinated players can return simply after a subsequent negative test, unvaccinated players are out for five days.

2021 Kansas City Chiefs COVID-19
Name Position Week(s) missed
Chris Jones DT 15
Josh Gordon WR 15
Willie Gay LB 15
Harrison Butker K 16
Rashad Fenton CB 16
Kyle Long G 16
Tommy Townsend P 16
Nick Bolton LB 16
Travis Kelce[42] TE 16
Lucas Niang OT 16

Staff

2021 Kansas City Chiefs staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Barry Rubin
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Greg Carbin
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Tyler Judkins
  • Assistant strength and conditioning/director of sports science – Ryan Reynolds


Final roster

2021 Kansas City Chiefs roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 5 reserve, 16 practice squad

Preseason

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 14 at San Francisco 49ers W 19–16 1–0 Levi's Stadium Recap
2 August 20 at Arizona Cardinals W 17–10 2–0 State Farm Stadium Recap
3 August 27 Minnesota Vikings W 28–25 3–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap

Game summaries

Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers

Week 1: Kansas City Chiefs at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 7 0 3919
49ers 6 3 0716

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

Game information

Week 2: at Arizona Cardinals

Week 2: Kansas City Chiefs at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 3 7 7017
Cardinals 0 0 3710

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

Week 3: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Week 3: Minnesota Vikings at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 3 0 71525
Chiefs 14 7 7028

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: August 27
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 91 °F (33 °C)
  • Game attendance: 72,680
  • Referee: Shawn Hochuli
  • TV announcers (KSHB): Ari Wolfe, Trent Green, Kay Adams and Matt McMullen
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 12 Cleveland Browns W 33–29 1–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
2 September 19 at Baltimore Ravens L 35–36 1–1 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
3 September 26 Los Angeles Chargers L 24–30 1–2 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
4 October 3 at Philadelphia Eagles W 42–30 2–2 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
5 October 10 Buffalo Bills L 20–38 2–3 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
6 October 17 at Washington Football Team W 31–13 3–3 FedExField Recap
7 October 24 at Tennessee Titans L 3–27 3–4 Nissan Stadium Recap
8 November 1 New York Giants W 20–17 4–4 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
9 November 7 Green Bay Packers W 13–7 5–4 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
10 November 14 at Las Vegas Raiders W 41–14 6–4 Allegiant Stadium Recap
11 November 21 Dallas Cowboys W 19–9 7–4 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
12 Bye
13 December 5 Denver Broncos W 22–9 8–4 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
14 December 12 Las Vegas Raiders W 48–9 9–4 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
15 December 16 at Los Angeles Chargers W 34–28 (OT) 10–4 SoFi Stadium Recap
16 December 26 Pittsburgh Steelers W 36–10 11–4 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
17 January 2 at Cincinnati Bengals L 31–34 11–5 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
18 January 8 at Denver Broncos W 28–24 12–5 Empower Field at Mile High Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week 1: Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Browns 8 14 0729
Chiefs 3 7 101333

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 2: at Baltimore Ravens

Week 2: Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 14 7 14035
Ravens 7 10 71236

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game information

Week 3: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Week 3: Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 14 01630
Chiefs 0 3 14724

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: September 26
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Clear, 81 °F (27 °C)
  • Game attendance: 72,980
  • Referee: Shawn Hochuli
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 4: at Philadelphia Eagles

Week 4: Kansas City Chiefs at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 7 14 71442
Eagles 10 3 31430

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Game information

Week 5: vs. Buffalo Bills

Week 5: Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bills 7 17 7738
Chiefs 3 10 0720

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: October 10
  • Game time: 7:20 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,389
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 6: at Washington Football Team

Week 6: Kansas City Chiefs at Washington Football Team – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 7 3 71431
Washington 3 10 0013

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

  • Date: October 17
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 62 °F (17 °C)
  • Game attendance: 51,322
  • Referee: Adrian Hill
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Charles Davis and Evan Washburn
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 7: at Tennessee Titans

Week 7: Kansas City Chiefs at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 0 0 303
Titans 14 13 0027

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

  • Date: October 24
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 70 °F (21 °C)
  • Game attendance: 69,484
  • Referee: Brad Allen
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Charles Davis and Evan Washburn
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 8: vs. New York Giants

Week 8: New York Giants at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 10 0717
Chiefs 7 7 0620

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 9: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 9: Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 0 0 077
Chiefs 7 6 0013

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 10: at Las Vegas Raiders

Week 10: Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 7 10 101441
Raiders 0 7 7014

at Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada

  • Date: November 14
  • Game time: 7:20 p.m. CST/5:20 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 62,125
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 11: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week 11: Dallas Cowboys at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 3 0 339
Chiefs 9 7 3019

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: November 21
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,494
  • Referee: John Hussey
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 13: vs. Denver Broncos

Week 13: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Broncos 0 3 069
Chiefs 10 0 3922

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: December 5
  • Game time: 7:20 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,185
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Kathryn Tappen
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 14: vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Week 14: Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Raiders 0 3 609
Chiefs 14 21 31048

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: December 12
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,278
  • Referee: Brad Allen
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Charles Davis and Evan Washburn
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 15: at Los Angeles Chargers

Week 15: Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Chiefs 7 3 315634
Chargers 0 14 014028

at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

  • Date: December 16
  • Game time: 7:20 p.m. CST/5:20 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 70,240
  • Referee: Shawn Smith
  • TV announcers (Fox/NFLN/Prime Video): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Kristina Pink
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 16: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 16: Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 0 0 3710
Chiefs 14 9 7636

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: December 26
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,371
  • Referee: Jerome Boger
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 17: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week 17: Kansas City Chiefs at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 14 14 0331
Bengals 7 10 71034

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Date: January 2
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 33 °F (1 °C)
  • Game attendance: 64,505
  • Referee: Ronald Torbert
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 18: at Denver Broncos

Week 18: Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 7 3 71128
Broncos 7 7 7324

at Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

Game information

Standings

Division

AFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(2) Kansas City Chiefs 12 5 0 .706 5–1 7–5 480 364 W1
(5) Las Vegas Raiders 10 7 0 .588 3–3 8–4 374 439 W4
Los Angeles Chargers 9 8 0 .529 3–3 6–6 474 459 L1
Denver Broncos 7 10 0 .412 1–5 3–9 335 322 L4

Conference

AFC
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division winners
1[a] Tennessee Titans South 12 5 0 .706 5–1 8–4 .472 .480 W3
2[a] Kansas City Chiefs West 12 5 0 .706 5–1 7–5 .538 .517 W1
3 Buffalo Bills East 11 6 0 .647 5–1 7–5 .472 .428 W4
4 Cincinnati Bengals North 10 7 0 .588 4–2 8–4 .472 .462 L1
Wild cards
5[b] Las Vegas Raiders West 10 7 0 .588 3–3 8–4 .510 .515 W4
6[b] New England Patriots East 10 7 0 .588 3–3 8–4 .481 .394 L1
7 Pittsburgh Steelers North 9 7 1 .559 4–2 7–5 .521 .490 W2
Did not qualify for the postseason
8[c] Indianapolis Colts South 9 8 0 .529 3–3 7–5 .495 .431 L2
9[c][d] Miami Dolphins East 9 8 0 .529 4–2 6–6 .464 .379 W1
10[c][d] Los Angeles Chargers West 9 8 0 .529 3–3 6–6 .510 .500 L1
11[e] Cleveland Browns North 8 9 0 .471 3–3 5–7 .514 .415 W1
12[e] Baltimore Ravens North 8 9 0 .471 1–5 5–7 .531 .460 L6
13 Denver Broncos West 7 10 0 .412 1–5 3–9 .484 .357 L4
14[f] New York Jets East 4 13 0 .235 0–6 4–8 .512 .426 L2
15[f] Houston Texans South 4 13 0 .235 3–3 4–8 .498 .397 L2
16 Jacksonville Jaguars South 3 14 0 .176 1–5 3–9 .512 .569 W1
Tiebreakers[g]
  1. ^ a b Tennessee finished ahead of Kansas City based on head-to-head victory.
  2. ^ a b Las Vegas finished ahead of New England based on win percentage in common games (5–1 vs. 2–4 against: Miami, Dallas, LA Chargers, Cleveland, and Indianapolis).
  3. ^ a b c Indianapolis finished ahead of Miami and Los Angeles based on conference record (7–5 vs. 6–6).
  4. ^ a b Miami finished ahead of LA Chargers based on win percentage in common games (5–1 vs. 2–4 against: New England, Las Vegas, Houston, Baltimore, and NY Giants).
  5. ^ a b Cleveland finished ahead of Baltimore based on division record (3–3 vs. 1–5).
  6. ^ a b NY Jets finished ahead of Houston based on head-to-head victory.
  7. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

Postseason

See also: 2021–22 NFL playoffs

Schedule

Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Recap
Wild Card January 16 Pittsburgh Steelers (7) W 42–21 1–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
Divisional January 23 Buffalo Bills (3) W 42–36 (OT) 2–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
AFC Championship January 30 Cincinnati Bengals (4) L 24–27 (OT) 2–1 Arrowhead Stadium Recap

Game summaries

AFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (7) Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC Wild Card Playoffs: (7) Pittsburgh Steelers at (2) Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 0 7 7721
Chiefs 0 21 14742

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

AFC Divisional Playoffs: vs. (3) Buffalo Bills

Main article: 2021 AFC Divisional playoff game (Buffalo–Kansas City)
AFC Divisional Playoffs: (3) Buffalo Bills at (2) Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Bills 7 7 715036
Chiefs 7 7 913642

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

AFC Championship: vs. (4) Cincinnati Bengals

AFC Championship: (4) Cincinnati Bengals at (2) Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Bengals 3 7 113327
Chiefs 7 14 03024

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: January 30, 2022
  • Game time: 3:05 p.m. EST/2:05 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 41 °F (5 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,377
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson, Evan Washburn and Jay Feely
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Statistics

Team

Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank
(out of 32)
Passing offense 4,791 281.8 4th
Rushing offense 1,955 115.0 16th
Total offense 6,746 396.8 3rd
Passing defense 4,273 251.4 27th
Rushing defense 1,999 117.6 21st
Total defense 6,272 368.9 27th

Individual

Category Player Total yards
Offense
Passing Patrick Mahomes 4,839
Rushing Darrel Williams 558
Receiving Tyreek Hill 1,239
Defense
Tackles (Solo) Nick Bolton 70
Sacks Chris Jones 9
Interceptions Tyrann Mathieu 3

Statistics correct as of the end of the 2021 NFL season[43][44]

References

  1. ^ Staff, KMBC 9 News (January 24, 2022). "Chiefs to host record setting fourth straight AFC Championship". KMBC. Retrieved January 9, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Palmer, Tod (January 24, 2022). "Chiefs make history by hosting 4th straight AFC Championship Game". KSHB 41 Kansas City News. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  3. ^ "Chiefs and GEHA Announce Naming Rights Agreement for GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium". Chiefs.com. March 4, 2021. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Patra, Kevin (March 11, 2021). "Chiefs release starting tackles Eric Fisher, Mitchell Schwartz". NFL.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  5. ^ "Chiefs' Anthony Sherman announces he's retiring". KMBC.com. March 4, 2021.
  6. ^ McDowell, Sam (July 26, 2021). "Kansas City Chiefs aren't changing name. But they're putting Warpaint out to pasture". Kansas City Star. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  7. ^ "Mahomes dazzles as Chiefs rally for 33–29 win over Browns". ESPN.com. September 12, 2021.
  8. ^ Kerr, Jeff (September 27, 2021). "Patrick Mahomes not concerned about Chiefs being in last place: 'I think we'll be ready for the challenge'". CBSSports.com.
  9. ^ "Chiefs Put Together Complete Team Effort in Dominant Victory Over Raiders". Chiefs.com.
  10. ^ Gordon, Grant (December 27, 2021). "Kansas City Chiefs clinch sixth consecutive AFC West title". NFL.com. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  11. ^ Rogers, Martin (January 24, 2022). "Best NFL playoff game ever? Chiefs, Bills make case". FoxSports.com. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  12. ^ Morse, Ben (January 24, 2022). "Patrick Mahomes goes 'Grim Reaper' as Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Buffalo Bills in epic back-and-forth overtime battle". CNN.com. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  13. ^ Barnwell, Bill (January 24, 2022). "Greatest NFL playoff round ever? 10 takeaways from Bills-Chiefs, struggles by Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, plus how the Rams, 49ers and Bengals won". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  14. ^ Levin, Josh (January 24, 2022). "How Chiefs-Bills Became One of the Greatest Games in NFL History". Slate.com. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  15. ^ Dodd, Dennis (January 24, 2022). "Chiefs' epic victory over Bills leaves NFL fans longing for more, but it doesn't get any better than this". NFL.com. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  16. ^ Ley, Tom (January 24, 2022). "That Was A Football Game For All Time". Defector.com. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  17. ^ "Mahomes lifts Chiefs past Allen's Bills in seesawing overtime thriller". Yahoo UK. January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  18. ^ a b c "Chiefs 2021 transactions". Chiefs.com.
  19. ^ a b "Chiefs RBs coach Deland McCullough leaving for Indiana". NBC Sports. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  20. ^ a b "Reports: Britt Reid no longer employed by Chiefs; NFL to investigate former assistant coach". USAToday.com.
  21. ^ Gordon, Grant (September 7, 2021). "RB Le'Veon Bell signing with Ravens practice squad". nfl.com. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  22. ^ Smith, Eric (June 4, 2021). "Vikings Agree to Terms with CB Bashaud Breeland". Vikings.com.
  23. ^ "Lions announce signings of NB Alex Brown, S Alijah Holder, and TE Charlie Taumoepeau". Pride of Detroit. SB Nation. May 17, 2021.
  24. ^ Smith, Scott (May 17, 2021). "Bucs Sign Four Veterans After Weekend Tryout". Buccaneers.com.
  25. ^ "New Orleans Saints agree to terms with defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon on two-year contract". NewOrleansSaints.com. March 29, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  26. ^ "Giants have depth issues on offensive line, so who are their best free agent options, as they seek help?". NJ.com.
  27. ^ Mayer, Larry (June 18, 2021). "Roster Moves: Bears sign three free agents". Chicago Bears. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  28. ^ Williams, Charean (June 17, 2021). "Chiefs cut Martinas Rankin". NBCSports.com. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  29. ^ "Austin Reiter". NBCSportsEdge.com.
  30. ^ Baca, Michael (March 26, 2021). "Ravens signing WR Sammy Watkins to one-year, $6 million deal". NFL.com. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  31. ^ Mayer, Larry (March 26, 2021). "Roster Move: Bears land ex-Chiefs RB Williams". ChicagoBears.com.
  32. ^ "Jaguars Sign Linebacker Damien Wilson". Jaguars.com. April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  33. ^ Stackpole, Kyle (May 5, 2021). "Washington Signs TE Deon Yelder, CB Linden Stephens". WashingtonFootball.com. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  34. ^ "Chiefs' Anthony Sherman announces he's retiring". KMBC.com.
  35. ^ Alper, Josh (August 8, 2021). "Chiefs place Nick Keizer on retired list, sign Bryan Witzmann". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
  36. ^ Daniel Kilgore [@danielkilgore67] (July 25, 2021). "Retirement" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  37. ^ Goldman, Charles (April 25, 2020). "Chiefs trade up into seventh round, select Tulane CB Thakarius 'BoPete' Keyes". USA Today. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  38. ^ Smith, Michael David (November 3, 2020). "Chiefs trade DeAndre Washington to Dolphins". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  39. ^ "Chiefs acquire OT Orlando Brown in trade with Ravens". NFL. April 23, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  40. ^ "Chiefs re-sign WR Marcus Kemp to 53-man roster". USAToday.com.
  41. ^ "Chiefs 2022 transactions". Chiefs.com.
  42. ^ "Travis Kelce, Charvarius Ward, Harrison Butker Placed on Reserve/COVID-19 List". SI.com.
  43. ^ "2021 NFL Team Total Statistics". ESPN. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  44. ^ "Chiefs Stats". Kansas City Chiefs. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
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