2018 Kansas City Chiefs season

The 2018 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 49th season in the National Football League, their 59th overall, their sixth under head coach Andy Reid, and their second under general manager Brett Veach. The Chiefs finished 12–4 and won their third consecutive AFC West title, made their fourth consecutive playoff appearance, but lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the AFC Championship. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes won the AP NFL MVP award becoming the first Chiefs player to ever be named MVP.[1]

2018 Kansas City Chiefs season
OwnerThe Hunt family
Head coachAndy Reid
General managerBrett Veach
Home fieldArrowhead Stadium
Results
Record12–4
Division place1st AFC West
Playoff finishWon Divisional Playoffs (vs. Colts) 31–13
Lost AFC Championship (vs. Patriots) 31–37 (OT)
Pro Bowlers
AP All-Pros
Team MVPPatrick Mahomes
Team ROYAndrew Wylie
Uniform

Season summary

In the offseason the Chiefs had several major changes, including trading 2-time Pro Bowler Marcus Peters, as well as Alex Smith. The team also voided the final year of the contract of their longest tenured player Derrick Johnson and they released long time linebacker Tamba Hali.

Under first year starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs would start the season 5–0 for the second consecutive year before losing to the New England Patriots. The Chiefs then won their next four games before losing again to the Los Angeles Rams. A Week 14 win over the Baltimore Ravens clinched the Chiefs' fourth consecutive playoff appearance. After defeating their rival, the Oakland Raiders 35–3 in Week 17, the Chiefs clinched their third consecutive division title and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs for the first time since 1997.

In the playoffs, the Chiefs advanced to the AFC Championship Game for the first time since 1993 by defeating the Indianapolis Colts, 31–13 in the Divisional round. This win ended the Chiefs' 6-game home playoff losing streak dating back to 1993. It was only the Chiefs' second win in their last 13 playoff games. In the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, 37–31 in overtime. Two days after the loss, defensive coordinator Bob Sutton was fired following multiple NFL analysts criticizing his lack of adjustments in the AFC Championship Game, as well as other games throughout the season.[2]

NFL Top 100

The Chiefs had three players ranked in NFL Network's annual Top 100 players countdown, the fewest the team has had on the list since 2012.

RankPlayerPositionChange
24Travis KelceTE 2
33Kareem Hunt*RBNR
40Tyreek HillWR/PR 4

*Did not finish the season on the roster

Draft

2018 Kansas City Chiefs Draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollege
246 Breeland SpeaksDefensive endOle Miss
375 Derrick NnadiDefensive tackleFlorida State
100 Dorian O'DanielLinebackerClemson
4124 Armani WattsSafetyTexas A&M
6196 Tremon SmithCornerbackCentral Arkansas
198 Kahlil McKenzieDefensive tackleTennessee

Trades

  • The Chiefs traded their first round selection (No. 22 overall), along with their 2017 first and third round selections to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for the Bills' 2017 first-round selection.[3]
  • The Chiefs received a third round selection (No. 78 overall) and cornerback Kendall Fuller from the Washington Redskins in exchange for quarterback Alex Smith.[4]
  • The Chiefs traded their fifth round selection (159th overall) to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for offensive tackle Cameron Erving.[5]
  • The Chiefs traded their seventh round selection (240th overall) to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for cornerback Kenneth Acker.[6]
  • The Chiefs received a seventh round draft selection (233rd overall) from the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for cornerback Marcus Cooper.[7]
  • The Chiefs traded cornerback Marcus Peters and their sixth round selection (209th overall, a compensatory pick) to the Los Angeles Rams for their fourth round selection (124th overall) and their second round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft.[8]
  • The Chiefs received a seventh round draft selection (243rd Overall) from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for defensive tackle David King.[9]
  • The Chiefs received a 2nd round pick (46th overall) and a 3rd round pick (100th overall) from the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for the Chiefs' 2nd round pick (54th overall) and 3rd round pick (78th overall).
  • The Chiefs received a 3rd round pick (75th overall) from the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for their 3rd round pick (86th overall) and their 4th round pick (122nd overall)
  • The Chiefs received a 6th round pick (198th overall) from the New England Patriots in exchange for two 7th round picks (233rd overall and 243rd Overall)

Staff

2018 Kansas City Chiefs staff
Front office
  • Chairman/CEO – Clark Hunt
  • President – Mark Donovan
  • General manager – Brett Veach
  • Director of football administration – Brandt Tilis
  • Salary cap & legal executive – Chris Shea
  • Director of player personnel – Mike Borgonzi
  • Director of college scouting – Ryan Poles
  • Assistant director of college scouting – Ryne Nutt
  • College Scouting Coordinator – Greg Castillo
  • Director of pro personnel – Tim Terry

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator – Bob Sutton
  • Defensive line – Britt Reid
  • Outside linebackers – Mike Smith
  • Inside linebackers – Mark DeLeone
  • Defensive backs – Emmitt Thomas
  • Secondary/cornerbacks – Al Harris
  • Defensive Assistant – Alex Whittingham
  • Defensive quality control – Terry Bradden
  • Defensive quality control – Jay Valai

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Barry Rubin
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Travis Crittenden
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Devin Woodhouse
  • Sports science/conditioning – Ryan Reynolds

Final roster

2018 Kansas City Chiefs final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
53 active, 12 inactive, 10 practice squad

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
1 August 9 Houston Texans L 10–17 0–1 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
2 August 17 at Atlanta Falcons W 28–14 1–1 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
3 August 25 at Chicago Bears L 20–27 1–2 Soldier Field Recap
4 August 30 Green Bay Packers W 33–21 2–2 Arrowhead Stadium Recap

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
1 September 9 at Los Angeles Chargers W 38–28 1–0 StubHub Center Recap
2 September 16 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 42–37 2–0 Heinz Field Recap
3 September 23 San Francisco 49ers W 38–27 3–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
4 October 1 at Denver Broncos W 27–23 4–0 Broncos Stadium at Mile High Recap
5 October 7 Jacksonville Jaguars W 30–14 5–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
6 October 14 at New England Patriots L 40–43 5–1 Gillette Stadium Recap
7 October 21 Cincinnati Bengals W 45–10 6–1 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
8 October 28 Denver Broncos W 30–23 7–1 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
9 November 4 at Cleveland Browns W 37–21 8–1 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap
10 November 11 Arizona Cardinals W 26–14 9–1 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
11 November 19 at Los Angeles Rams L 51–54 9–2 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Recap
12 Bye
13 December 2 at Oakland Raiders W 40–33 10–2 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Recap
14 December 9 Baltimore Ravens W 27–24 (OT) 11–2 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
15 December 13 Los Angeles Chargers L 28–29 11–3 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
16 December 23 at Seattle Seahawks L 31–38 11–4 CenturyLink Field Recap
17 December 30 Oakland Raiders W 35–3 12–4 Arrowhead Stadium Recap

Notes

  • Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
  • The Week 11 game against the Los Angeles Rams was originally scheduled to be played in Mexico City in Estadio Azteca as a part of the league's International Series, but was moved to Los Angeles due to concerns over the playing surface.

Week 1: at Los Angeles Chargers

Week One: Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Chiefs 14 3 14738
Chargers 6 6 01628

at Stubhub Center, Carson, California

Game information

Week 2: at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week Two: Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Chiefs 21 0 14742
Steelers 0 21 7937

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: September 16
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C), partly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 63,956
  • Referee: Jerome Boger
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 3: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week Three: San Francisco 49ers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
49ers 0 10 14327
Chiefs 14 21 0338

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 4: at Denver Broncos

Week Four: Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Chiefs 3 7 31427
Broncos 3 10 7323

at Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

Game information

Week 5: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week Five: Jacksonville Jaguars at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Jaguars 0 0 7714
Chiefs 7 13 3730

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 6: at New England Patriots

Week Six: Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Chiefs 6 3 171440
Patriots 10 14 31643

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Game information

Week 7: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week Seven: Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Bengals 0 7 3010
Chiefs 7 17 14745

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: October 21
  • Game time: 7:20 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C), clear
  • Game attendance: 75,676
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya and Terry McAulay
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 8: vs. Denver Broncos

Week Eight: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Broncos 7 7 0923
Chiefs 3 13 14030

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

With this win, head coach Andy Reid eclipsed win number 200, becoming the seventh coach in NFL history to do so (with Don Shula, George Halas, Bill Belichick, Tom Landry, Curly Lambeau, & Marty Schottenheimer).[10]

Week 9: at Cleveland Browns

Week Nine: Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Chiefs 7 14 13337
Browns 3 12 0621

at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Game information

With this win, head coach Andy Reid won his 201st regular season game, passing Marty Schottenheimer to move to 6th most regular season wins in NFL history.

Week 10: vs. Arizona Cardinals

Week Ten: Arizona Cardinals at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Cardinals 7 0 7014
Chiefs 10 10 0626

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: November 11
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 43 °F (6 °C), sunny and clear
  • Game attendance: 76,712
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, Bruce Arians and Melanie Collins
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 11: at Los Angeles Rams

Week Eleven: Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Chiefs 7 16 72151
Rams 13 10 171454

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

Game information

Week 13: at Oakland Raiders

Week Thirteen: Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Chiefs 10 9 14740
Raiders 0 7 91733

at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California

  • Date: December 2
  • Game time: 3:05 p.m. CST/1:05 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C), sunny skies
  • Game attendance: 54,255
  • Referee: Shawn Smith
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 14: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Week Fourteen: Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
1 2 34OTTotal
Ravens 0 10 77024
Chiefs 7 10 07327

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: December 9
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 27 °F (−3 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 74,336
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 15: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Week Fifteen: Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 7 71529
Chiefs 14 0 7728

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 16: at Seattle Seahawks

Week Sixteen: Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Chiefs 3 7 71431
Seahawks 7 7 101438

at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: December 23
  • Game time: 7:20 p.m. CST/5:20 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 43 °F (6 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 69,067
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 17: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week Seventeen: Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Raiders 0 3 003
Chiefs 14 7 7735

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

With this win, head coach Andy Reid won his 206th combined regular season & post season game, passing Marty Schottenheimer to move to 7th most combined wins in NFL history.[11]

Division

AFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(1) Kansas City Chiefs 12 4 0 .750 5–1 10–2 565 421 W1
(5) Los Angeles Chargers 12 4 0 .750 4–2 9–3 428 329 W1
Denver Broncos 6 10 0 .375 2–4 4–8 329 349 L4
Oakland Raiders 4 12 0 .250 1–5 3–9 290 467 L1

Conference

# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1[lower-alpha 1] Kansas City Chiefs West 12 4 0 .750 5–1 10–2 .480 .401 W1
2[lower-alpha 2] New England Patriots East 11 5 0 .688 5–1 8–4 .482 .494 W2
3[lower-alpha 2] Houston Texans South 11 5 0 .688 4–2 9–3 .471 .435 W1
4 Baltimore Ravens North 10 6 0 .625 3–3 8–4 .496 .450 W3
Wild Cards
5[lower-alpha 1] Los Angeles Chargers West 12 4 0 .750 4–2 9–3 .477 .422 W1
6 Indianapolis Colts South 10 6 0 .625 4–2 7–5 .465 .456 W4
Did not qualify for the postseason
7 Pittsburgh Steelers North 9 6 1 .594 4–1–1 6–5–1 .504 .448 W1
8 Tennessee Titans South 9 7 0 .563 3–3 5–7 .520 .465 L1
9 Cleveland Browns North 7 8 1 .469 3–2–1 5–6–1 .516 .411 L1
10 Miami Dolphins East 7 9 0 .438 4–2 6–6 .469 .446 L3
11[lower-alpha 3] Denver Broncos West 6 10 0 .375 2–4 4–8 .523 .464 L4
12[lower-alpha 3] Cincinnati Bengals North 6 10 0 .375 1–5 4–8 .535 .448 L2
13[lower-alpha 3] Buffalo Bills East 6 10 0 .375 2–4 4–8 .523 .411 W1
14 Jacksonville Jaguars South 5 11 0 .313 1–5 4–8 .549 .463 L1
15[lower-alpha 4] New York Jets East 4 12 0 .250 1–5 3–9 .506 .438 L3
16[lower-alpha 4] Oakland Raiders West 4 12 0 .250 1–5 3–9 .547 .406 L1
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 5]
  1. Kansas City finished ahead of LA Chargers based on division games.
  2. New England finished ahead of Houston based on head-to-head victory.
  3. Denver finished ahead of Cincinnati and Buffalo based on strength of victory. Cincinnati finished ahead of Buffalo based on record vs. common opponents. Cincinnati's cumulative record against Baltimore, Indianapolis, the Los Angeles Chargers and Miami was 3–2, compared to Buffalo's 1–4 cumulative record against the same four teams.
  4. NY Jets finished ahead of Oakland based on strength of victory.
  5. 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

Schedule

Playoff round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
Wild Card First-round bye
Divisional January 12, 2019 Indianapolis Colts (6) W 31–13 1–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
AFC Championship January 20, 2019 New England Patriots (2) L 31–37 (OT) 1–1 Arrowhead Stadium Recap

AFC Divisional Playoffs: vs. (6) Indianapolis Colts

AFC Divisional Playoffs: (6) Indianapolis Colts at (1) Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Colts 0 7 0613
Chiefs 14 10 0731

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

AFC Championship: vs. (2) New England Patriots

AFC Championship: (2) New England Patriots at (1) Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
1 2 34OTTotal
Patriots 7 7 314637
Chiefs 0 0 724031

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

References

  1. "Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes named 2018 NFL MVP". NFL.com.
  2. "Chiefs fire DC Bob Sutton after OT loss to Patriots". NFL.com.
  3. Paylor, Terez (April 27, 2017). "For first time since '83, Chiefs draft quarterback in first round: Patrick Mahomes". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  4. Paylor, Terez A. (January 30, 2018). "Chiefs trade Alex Smith to Washington, saving $15.6 million". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  5. Sessler, Marc (August 30, 2017). "Browns ship Cameron Erving to Chiefs for fifth-rounder". NFL.com.
  6. "49ers Trade CB Kenneth Acker". 49ers.com.
  7. Urban, Darren (September 2, 2016). "Cardinals Trade For CB Marcus Cooper". AZCardinals.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  8. Patra, Kevin (February 26, 2018). "Chiefs net 2nd, 4th-round picks for Marcus Peters". NFL.com.
  9. Wyatt, Jim (September 1, 2017). "Titans Trade for Chiefs DL David King". TitansOnline.com. Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  10. Teicher, Adam (October 18, 2019). "Chiefs coach Andy Reid on his 200th win: 'I'm old'". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  11. Binkley, Jay (December 31, 2018). "Andy Reid". 610 Sports Radio. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
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