Chiefs potential playoff matchups in 2023 NFL Wild Card round
Despite an up-and-down regular season, the Kansas City Chiefs have won their eighth straight AFC West title and clinched another playoff berth.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Despite an up-and-down regular season, the Kansas City Chiefs have won their eighth straight AFC West title and clinched another playoff berth.
The Chiefs are currently locked into the 3-seed in the AFC and their Week 18 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers does not affect their current playoff status.
It would not be surprising to see the Chiefs rest the starters but head coach Andy Reid said he's currently undecided on what he plans to do.
The Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens (1-seed) and Cleveland Browns (5-seed) are all locked into their seeds.
With the Chiefs holding the third spot, there are four potential opponents they could face on Wild Card Weekend: Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts or Houston Texans.
The Bills would be a very familiar foe as they had numerous matchups with the Chiefs throughout the past few seasons, including their classic 2021 Divisional matchup.
The Chiefs lost to them earlier this season 20-17. This would likely be the toughest matchup for the Chiefs as the Bills have played very well in the second half of the season.
Patrick Mahomes vs. Josh Allen is also one of the premier QB matchups.
The Chiefs haven't faced the Dolphins in the playoffs since 1994 in the Wild Card round. They defeated them earlier this season in a 17-14 win in Germany.
It would be former Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill's first game back at Arrowhead since he was traded before the start of last season.
Houston and Indianapolis don't have much playoff experience. Both teams overachieved this season and have great young head coaches. They will face each other with a playoff spot on the line in Week 18.
The Texans are a young, up-and-coming team that can be explosive on offense. They also boast one of the league's best young QB's in CJ Stroud. The Colts have been steady all year and have solid weapons in Michael Pittman Jr., Jonathan Taylor and Josh Downs.
There are a plethora of scenarios in the final week of the season so it will be intriguing to see who the Chiefs will host at Arrowhead.
This is the lowest seed the Chiefs have had since Patrick Mahomes became the starter. Their path to the playoffs has been quite different this season.
It has been the defense that has been their strong suit, carrying the team to another AFC West crown, outside of the norm from past years.
Mahomes is known to elevate his game this time of the year and the Chiefs offense will need it if they want to defend their title.