What Is the Best Record in Kansas City Chiefs History?
Patrick Mahomes led the Kansas City Chiefs to the franchise’s first Super Bowl win since 1970 earlier this year with an MVP performance in a 31-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers and once again has the team in position to contend for a championship. But the former NFL MVP also has the Chiefs in line to have their greatest regular season in history. With Sunday’s victory over the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City is now 12-1 and just one win shy of tying the franchise record.
Here’s a quick look back at the greatest regular seasons in Kansas City Chiefs history.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ best winning percentage for a single season came when they were still in the AFL
Founded as the Dallas Texans in 1960, the team became known as the Kansas City Chiefs in 1963, one season after the team posted a then-franchise-best 11-3 record and won the AFL Championship over the Houston Oilers.
Following the move to Kansas City, the Chiefs posted 11 or more wins three times before the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, including a 12-2 record in 1968. The 85.7% winning percentage that season is still the best in franchise history, although they still lost their division that year as the Raiders also had a 12-2 record and defeated the Chiefs in a one-game playoff to decide the winner of the AFL West.
The following season, the Kansas City Chiefs went 11-3 and went on to defeat the Minnesota Vikings in the Super Bowl.
The Kansas City Chiefs have won 13 games three times
Since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, the Kansas City Chiefs have reached double digits in wins 18 times, including the 2020 season. Their longest stretch of at least 10 wins was a four-year span from 1990 to 1993.
Two seasons later, in 1995, with Steve Bono taking over for Joe Montana as the starting quarterback, the Chiefs set a franchise record with 13 victories, winning the AFC West and earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. Marty Schottenheimer was named UPI Coach of the Year but the Chiefs were upset in the divisional round by the Indianapolis Colts, 10-7.
Two years later, the Kansas City Chiefs again won the AFC West and earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a 13-3 record but were once again upset in the divisional round, this time losing 14-10 to the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos.
Following the ’97 season, the Chiefs failed to reach 10 wins for five straight seasons but then went 13-3 in 2003, winning the AFC West and earning the No. 2 seed in the AFC. But once again, Kansas City couldn’t make it past the divisional round as they were defeated by the Colts, 38-31.
The Chiefs were 12-4 in 2019 on the way to winning Super Bowl 54.
The team should set a new franchise record for wins and winning percentage in 2020
As mentioned, with their win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs are now 12-1 and well on their way to setting a new franchise record for victories and winning percentage. Over the final three weeks of the season, they have matchups with the Saints, Falcons, and Chargers and shouldn’t have too much of a problem winning at least two of those games.
Even if they do happen to lose one, that would still give them a franchise-record 14 wins, which would also give them an 87.5% winning percentage.
UPDATE: The Chiefs got those 14 wins and likely would’ve gone 15-1 had Patrick Mahomes chosen not to sit out the final game of the regular season.
Stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference
