As the Kansas City Chiefs head into their Week 10 bye on the heels of a disappointing loss to the Buffalo Bills, a 5-4 record is by no means comfortable for head coach Andy Reid's group. Although they will not be taking the field this week, all eyes will be on one specific game on Sunday night as the playoff race begins to tighten up for the second half of the season.
As things currently stand, the Chiefs sit in third-place in the AFC West, one game behind the Los Angeles Chargers (6-3) and two back of the division-leading Denver Broncos (7-2). The Chiefs still have two games remaining with the Broncos, with the first coming out of the bye week, but assuming the standings hold and Denver wins the division, a Chargers loss on Sunday night to the Pittsburgh Steelers would be huge for Kansas City.
If the wild-card chase ends up being between the Chargers and Chiefs, Kansas City's path to the postseason would at least be more favorable, given the two rivals would have the same number of losses and will meet again in Week 15.
Chiefs Can Win on Sunday Without Even Playing
It is no secret that the 2025 season has been a rollercoaster of emotions for the Chiefs after an 0-2 start. While they had strung together three wins in a row before the loss to Buffalo, the past is the past, and now head coach Andy Reid & Co. need to get a new streak started.
Fortunately for the Chiefs' sideline-watching this week, the Chargers have not looked dominant by any means against stiffer competition, so the division is still up for grabs heading into Week 10. Los Angeles also can't afford to underestimate a Pittsburgh squad that is coming off a hard-fought 27-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts. The Steelers are also 2-1 on the road this season, with the lone loss coming by two points, so it's clear they're comfortable in enemy territory.
That's without mentioning how the Steelers are 6-3 in their last nine meetings with the Chargers.
As for the rest of the AFC West this week, the Broncos are hosting the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night. The Chiefs wouldn't mind seeing the division leader losing this week, especially with a rivalry showdown looming in Week 11.
With Kansas City finally getting healthy on offense, perhaps a bye week will do it some good as it prepares for the stretch run. It missed some key opportunities at the trade deadline to improve its poor run game, but a Chargers loss would certainly help and keep the Chiefs in the thick of the division race and at least in position for a wild-card spot.
Hopefully, the Steelers can handle their task this weekend. Not only would winning help the Chiefs, but it'd also keep the Black and Yellow in the AFC North lead.