Last time Chiefs missed the playoffs: Revisiting 2014 postseason absence before Mahomes era began

For an entire decade, there wasn't many things more consistent in the NFL than the Kansas City Chiefs competing for a Super Bowl title.

From 2015-24, the Chiefs made the playoffs under Andy Reid in every season. In fact, they won the AFC West in all of those seasons except 2015, claiming three Super Bowl titles and appearing in another two championship games.

When the Chiefs' playoff streak came crashing down in 2025, with Patrick Mahomes tearing his ACL in the game Kansas City was mathematically eliminated, it meant a potential new era for the franchise. After all, the last time the Chiefs missed the playoffs, they continually retooled into a dynasty.

Here's everything to know about the 2014 Chiefs season, the last time they missed the playoffs prior to 2025.

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When was the last time the Chiefs missed the playoffs?

Prior to the 2025 season, the last time the Chiefs were not in the AFC playoff bracket was 2014. That was Andy Reid's second season as the team's head coach; the season prior, Reid guided the Chiefs to a wild-card spot in a nine-win turnaround from 2012.

From 2015-24, the Chiefs made the playoffs every season.

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Chiefs 2014 record and standings

• 9-7 (.563)

The NFL was still in a 16-game season in 2014. Kansas City went 9-7, still avoiding a losing season despite missing the playoffs. The Chiefs started out 7-3, but dropped four of their final six games.

2014 AFC West Standings

2014 AFC wild card standings

*Made playoffs

The NFL still had six playoff teams per conference in 2014, meaning there were only two wild-card spots available per conference. The Chiefs couldn't quite grab either of them. At 9-7, not only did they finish one win behind the Ravens and Bengals in the wild-card standings, but Kansas City also tied in record with three other AFC squads.

The Chiefs won their Week 18 game against the Chargers to secure the tiebreaker over San Diego, but it didn't matter anyway, as the Ravens won their final regular-season game to clinch the final AFC playoff spot.

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Chiefs 2014 roster

Here is the Chiefs' full 2014 roster.

Alex Smith

Starting at quarterback for the 2014 Chiefs was Alex Smith, who was in his second season with the team at 30 years old. Smith had spent the first eight years of his career with the San Francisco 49ers, but in February 2013, he was traded to Kansas City.

Smith was the starting quarterback in every year from 2013-18. The year prior to 2014, he had helped command Kansas City to the playoffs with an 11-5 record in 2013, which came as a nine-win turnaround from the team's two-win season in 2012. The arrival of Smith and head coach Andy Reid helped result in the turnaround.

However, after being named to the Pro Bowl in 2013, Smith couldn't quite get the Chiefs to the playoffs in 2014. Before the season, he agreed to a four-year contract extension, and he posted 3,265 passing yards and 18 touchdowns to six interceptions in 2014. 

Jamaal Charles

While he wasn't quite at the peak of his powers in 2014, there was little doubt who the Chiefs' offense ran through as long as Jamaal Charles was healthy in the early 2010s. In 2012, Charles had over 1,500 rushing yards, then another 1,287 in 2013.

Charles had his third-consecutive Pro Bowl season in 2014, despite missing the playoffs. He totaled 1,033 rushing yards and nine touchdowns in 15 games; the former third-rounder continued to cement his status as one of the best running backs in Chiefs history.

Charles also tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns in 2014, scoring five through the air. He was a major part of Kansas City's offense, and with injury-riddled 2015 and 2016 seasons to follow, that 2014 campaign was Charles' final 1,000-yard season in the NFL.

Travis Kelce

What Travis Kelce would do over his full Chiefs career was still unknown in 2014. He was in just his second NFL season as a third-round selection in the 2013 NFL Draft, as Andy Reid made him one of his first draft selections after landing with the Chiefs as head coach.

Kelce had also missed nearly his entire rookie 2013 season due to a knee injury, making him even more of an unknown, on top of previous character concerns from his suspension in college. Kelce appeared in just one game in 2013, missing out on the Chiefs' playoff trip.

In 2014, Kelce immediately became a contributor in what was his first real NFL action. He posted 862 receiving yards and five touchdowns, both of which led the team, as a weapon for Alex Smith. He flashed the superstar talent that he'd tap into for years to come, emerging as the go-to receiver for Andy Reid's offense.

Justin Houston

Defensively, the Chiefs' biggest difference-maker in the 2014 season was eventual eight-year Kansas City star Justin Houston. The outside linebacker had already established himself as a two-time Pro Bowler by 2014, but he completely leveled up to be an All-Pro defender in his fourth season.

Houston totaled an NFL-high 22.0 sacks, which approached the league's single-season record of 22.5. He also had 69 tackles and four forced fumbles, being named a Pro Bowler and First-Team All-Pro selection.

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Why did the Chiefs miss the 2014 playoffs?

There were a few reasons for the Chiefs missing the playoffs in 2014 and other major storylines during the season.

No TD passes to a wide receiver

One of the clear weaknesses of the Chiefs' 2014 offense was their lack of talent on the outside. Travis Kelce, virtually playing in his first NFL games, led the team in receiving as a tight end, and he tied with Jamaal Charles for the team-lead in receiving touchdowns with five.

The Chiefs became the first NFL team since the 1964 New York Giants, and the only team in the 16 game season era, to complete an entire season with no touchdown passes to a wide receiver. Dwayne Bowe was the only Chiefs wide receiver with more than 300 yards, totaling 754.

While a strong run game and developing star in Kelce were strengths, the fact that Alex Smith had no reliable targets on the perimeter hurt Kansas City in 2014.

1-4 stretch late in season

The Chiefs entered Week 12 of the season sitting at 7-3, coming off a 24-20 win over the Seattle Seahawks — the team that would go on to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl that season. Kansas City had also blown out the New England Patriots, 41-14, earlier in the year, taking down both eventual Super Bowl squads.

However, things fell apart from Week 12 on. Through 10 games, the Chiefs were tied with the Broncos at 7-3 in the AFC West. Then, the Broncos stepped up, while the Chiefs fell.

It began with a 24-20 loss to a Raiders team that came in winless, a surprising upset for Oakland that snapped a 16-game losing streak going back to the previous season. The following week, the Chiefs dropped a 29-16 game to the Broncos, officially falling behind in the division.

After a third-straight loss to the Cardinals on Dec. 7, the Chiefs then sat at 7-6 with their playoff hopes falling. A win over the Raiders in Week 15 and over the Steelers in Week 18 helped stop the bleeding, but because of a Week 17 loss to the Steelers, the Chiefs' record wasn't good enough to make the AFC bracket.

Eric Berry's Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis

One of the biggest storylines of the Chiefs' 2014 season was safety Eric Berry's Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis. After a Week 12 loss to the Raiders, Berry had received an X-ray after reporting chest pains. A mass in his chest was discovered, and his season was over as he was placed on the non-football illness list.

On Dec. 8, 2014, Berry was confirmed to have Hodgkin's lymphoma.

"This is a diagnosis that is very treatable and potentially curable with standard chemotherapy approaches," Berry's doctor, Christopher Flowers, said of the diagnosis, per ESPN. "The goal of Mr. Berry's treatment is to cure his lymphoma and we are beginning that treatment now."

Berry also released a statement through the Chiefs.

"My family and I are very grateful for the amount of support we have received over the last couple of weeks. I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate all the words of encouragement, the blessings and well wishes," the statement read. "I want to thank the Emory University School of Medicine, along with Dr. Flowers and his team, for all of their hard work and effort in diagnosing and creating a plan for me to battle this thing.

"I will embrace this process and attack it the same way I do everything else in life. God has more than prepared me for it. For everyone sharing similar struggles, I'm praying for you and keep fighting!"

Berry then proceeded to go through chemotherapy in the offseason and was declared cancer free. He came back for the 2015 season and was named to the Pro Bowl and an All-Pro team while earning the 2015 AP Comeback Player of the Year.

MORE: Revisiting Travis Kelce's college career

What changed for the Chiefs after 2014?

The Chiefs' final time missing the playoffs for a decade coming in 2014 was no coincidence. The team already clearly had winning pieces in place; Andy Reid was proving to be the right head coaching choice, providing an immediate turnaround since his hiring, while Alex Smith was an effective quarterback, Justin Houston was a defensive weapon to build around, and Travis Kelce was an emerging young star at tight end.

In the 2014 offseason, the Chiefs drafted cornerback Marcus Peters, who became an immediate starter and long-term star for the defense, and signed receiver Jeremy Maclin, who filled their need for wide receiver production in 2015. After missing the playoffs in 2014, the Chiefs were a wild-card team at 11-5 in 2015.

Long story short, the Chiefs simply built their team wisely and successfully before stumbling across a franchise-changing quarterback in 2017. They bought into Andy Reid's systems and allowed him to help build the franchise up. Under Reid, they had successful offensive coordinators in Doug Pederson, Eric Bieniemy and Matt Nagy, and successful defensive coordinators in Bob Sutton, then Steve Spagnuolo.

What really allowed the Chiefs to continue flourishing year-after-year, however, was their drafting. In 2016, they selected two all-time franchise talents: defensive tackle Chris Jones and wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Both became All-Pro level players at their positions and key figures in the Chiefs' dynasty.

Of course, the crown jewel of the Chiefs' draft decisions, perhaps across franchise history, was trading up to land Patrick Mahomes in 2017. While the then-Texas Tech star quarterback sat in his rookie season behind Alex Smith, he then stepped into a starting role in 2018 on an annual playoff contender that had plenty of weapons in-place.

Mahomes developed into a megastar and one of the best quarterbacks ever, and that took the Chiefs from annual playoff team to annual Super Bowl threat. With strong coaching and roster construction already secured, Mahomes became the piece that pushed Kansas City into elite territory. 

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How many years in a row had the Chiefs made the playoffs since then?

After 2014, the Chiefs made the playoffs in 10 consecutive seasons, lasting until their missed trip in the 2025 season.

Alex Smith was the quarterback for the first three playoff trips, but the team never made it past the divisional round. Mahomes led the charge in the following seven playoff appearances.

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How many Super Bowls have the Chiefs won?

The Chiefs have won four Super Bowls. The first came in 1970, but the other three have come in the Mahomes era: 2020, 2023 and 2024.

Here's a breakdown of the Chiefs' four Super Bowl seasons.

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Chiefs playoff history with Patrick Mahomes

From 2018-24, the Chiefs made the playoffs in every season with Patrick Mahomes as their starting quarterback. He did not miss the playoffs as a starter until 2025.

Here's a year-by-year breakdown of the Chiefs' playoff trips with Mahomes as their starting quarterback.

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Chiefs playoff history

Here is a full look at the history of the Chiefs in the playoffs.  

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