The Chiefs get to come home to Arrowhead Stadium this week, and after a two-game road stretch against the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos, a visit from the New York Jets looks like a welcome breather.
Even with that, this matchup has never been short on history. Kansas City and New York first crossed paths as AFL foes, and the series has spent most of its life swinging back and forth rather than settling into one side’s control.
Sunday will mark the 42nd all-time meeting between the teams, playoffs included. The Chiefs hold a narrow edge overall at 21-19-1, according to The Football Database.
Under Andy Reid, Kansas City has had the upper hand more often than not. The Chiefs have won four of their last five against the Jets and are riding a two-game winning streak in the series. Three of those four wins came by at least 14 points, though the latest one was a much tighter three-point decision.
The lone Reid-era loss to New York came during the strange 2017 season, when Kansas City started hot before sliding into a rough stretch. That game still gave the Chiefs plenty to remember.
Alex Smith broke loose for a 70-yard run, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce each scored two receiving touchdowns, and the pair accounted for 279 of Smith’s 366 passing yards. Still, the Jets walked away with a 38-31 win, and the most replayed image from that day may have been Marcus Peters tossing a penalty flag into the stands after losing his cool.
Long before Reid arrived, the Jets had their own strong run in the series. From 1998 to 2011, New York won five of seven meetings.
Even so, the overall rivalry has stayed close, with both teams putting together their own streaks over the years. The Jets have had three-game winning runs against Kansas City, and the Chiefs have answered with three-game streaks of their own more than once.
That pattern goes all the way back to the beginning. In the first six games between the clubs, when they were the Dallas Texans and New York Titans, each side put together a three-game streak. The Titans won the first three, and then the Texans responded with three straight of their own.
The playoff history is split as well. New York beat Kansas City 35-15 in an AFC Wild Card game in December 1986.
But the Chiefs’ postseason win over the Jets carries more weight in franchise and league history. Kansas City beat New York 13-6 in an AFL Divisional playoff game in December 1969, a victory that launched a run all the way to the franchise’s first Super Bowl title.
A few weeks later, the Chiefs beat the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV.
In Other News...
Chiefs Face A Bigger Contender Question Than Their Record Suggests
The Chiefs have still put together a 5-2 start, but the bigger question around this team is how it stacks up when the schedule tightens and the competition gets real. Over the past two seasons, Kansas City has not looked like the same group against quality opponents that it has been against the rest of the league, and that gap has become hard to ignore as the season moves deeper into the part of the calendar that tends to separate contenders from pretenders.
For a team that has long built its identity on answering the bell in the biggest moments, the concern is not just one side of the ball. The offense and defense have both slipped in those tougher matchups, with the Chiefs producing less and pressuring opponents less effectively than they did in previous years. Upcoming games will offer a clearer read on whether this is just a rough patch against strong teams or a more meaningful warning sign for their playoff path. [Read more 🡒]
Travis Kelce Weighs In As Jonathan Taylor Trade Drama Builds
Jonathan Taylors name has started to circulate in trade chatter as the deadline approaches, and the noise around the Colts running back has only grown with multiple NFL teams reportedly involved. The conversation has even reached former players Travis and Jason Kelce, whose take on Taylors future has added another layer to a situation that already feels like it could move quickly before the deadline.
The debate is less about Taylors talent than about where he fits best if Indianapolis decides to pull the trigger. The Kelce brothers landed in different places on the question, with one side of the discussion leaning toward Taylor staying put and the other pointing to potential landing spots that could use a back of his caliber. With the NFL trade deadline set for Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. ET, there is still time for this one to develop, but not much. [Read more 🡒]
Patrick Mahomes Just Got The Chiefs News He Needed Most
The Chiefs are heading into Week 9 in a spot they have not been eager to revisit, trying to stop a two-game slide before the New York Jets come to Kansas City. For Patrick Mahomes, the timing matters. The offense has been searching for a cleaner rhythm, and any boost to the passing game would be welcome as the Chiefs try to steady themselves against a Jets team that has struggled this season.
Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice gave Kansas City a much-needed sign on Thursday, both taking part fully in practice after recent injury concerns. With the offense looking to tighten up around its quarterback, getting key targets back on the field is exactly the kind of development the Chiefs needed this week, even if the bigger test still waits on Sunday. [Read more 🡒]