This has not happened in a decade.
Andy Reid was in the second of his 13 years at the helm of the Kansas City Chiefs the last time his team faced the serious possibility of missing the playoffs. His Chiefs have won their division every year since 2016 and only missed the playoffs once since 2012. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has never done anything but win the AFC West Division and guide his team to the Super Bowl in five of the most recent six seasons, winning three Vince Lombardi Trophies.
Yet, the reign of the Chiefs may be over.
There were signs of a crack in the armor last year when they won so many close games, some by the slimmest of margins where luck seemed to be on their side. The run for a record third straight Super Bowl victory was throttled by the Philadelphia Eagles last February, 40-22, in a game not as close as the final score.
This season, the Chiefs dropped their first two games versus the Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil and in second week action at home against the same Eagles team that downed them in Super Bowl LIX.
Then, with the football world ready to write off the defending AFC Conference Champions, they hit their stride and won five of their next six games to carry a favorite role into Buffalo three weeks ago when they met their longtime primary AFC rivals, the Bills. Buffalo got the win, their fifth straight in the regular season against the Chiefs but knew the bigger prize would be decided in January. That is where Maholmes and company have shined, having downed the Bills in the playoffs four straight times.