Chiefs Playoff Hopes Look Bleak

Chiefs Playoff Hopes Look Bleak
December 19th, 2005 @ 9:30 pm; ChiefsWarpath.com
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[Kansas City.com] One day after the Chiefs were manhandled 27-17 by the Giants, their much-needed help from the rest of the league didn’t come. Pittsburgh beat the Vikings 18-3 in Minneapolis, and San Diego pulled off a 26-17 shocker at Indianapolis. In Jacksonville, the Jaguars held on for a 10-9 victory over the lowly 49ers.

Those developments put the Chiefs one game behind the Steelers and Chargers for the final wild-card spot and two games behind Jacksonville. If the playoffs started today, 8-6 Kansas City would not be one of the six AFC teams going to the playoffs. And even if they pull off the giant task of beating the Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals in their final two games, it still might not happen.

Late Sunday, AFC information manager Steve Alic broke down what must happen for the Chiefs to make the playoffs:

The Chiefs must win their final two home games with San Diego and Cincinnati. A Chargers win automatically puts them ahead of the Chiefs. Jacksonville can finish no worse than 10-6, eliminating a 9-7 Kansas City team.

San Diego must lose its final two games. The Chargers, at 10-6, would hold a tie breaker over the Chiefs on common opponents. In any three- or four-way tie scenario, they would knock their division foe out.

Pittsburgh must lose one of its final two games against Cleveland or Detroit. The Chiefs own the conference-winning-percentage tie breaker over the Steelers.