The Kansas City Chiefs weren't always the boogeyman of the AFC. Honestly, if you grew up watching football in the late nineties or the mid-2000s, the Chiefs were basically the definition of "fine." They were the team that might go 10-6, lose a heartbreaking Wild Card game at Arrowhead, and then disappear until the draft. But looking at the Chiefs record by year, you can see the exact moment the DNA of the franchise changed. It isn't just a list of wins and losses; it’s a roadmap of how a team went from a "small market" afterthought to a global brand that everyone either loves or absolutely hates.
Dynasties are weird. They feel inevitable when you’re in the middle of them, but they’re usually built on a pile of really ugly seasons. To understand why Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are currently terrorizing the league, you have to look back at the years when they couldn't even buy a home win.
The Dark Ages and the 2-14 Reset
If you want to talk about the Chiefs record by year, you have to start with the rock bottom of 2012. It was a disaster. 2-14. They didn’t lead a single game in regulation for basically half the season. It’s hard to even fathom that now. The roster had talent—guys like Jamaal Charles, Justin Houston, and Eric Berry were all-pros—but the coaching and quarterback play were just fundamentally broken.
Then came 2013. Everything changed. Andy Reid arrived after getting fired by Philly, and the team traded for Alex Smith. People laughed at the trade. They called Smith a "game manager." But look at the jump. They went from 2-14 to 11-5 in a single season. That’s a nine-win swing. That 2013 season is arguably the most important year in the modern history of the team because it established a floor of winning that they haven't dropped below since.
Under Reid, the Chiefs record by year during the Alex Smith era was remarkably consistent:
In 2014, they went 9-7. This was the infamous year where they didn't have a single touchdown catch by a wide receiver. Not one. It sounds like a fake stat, but it’s 100% real.
2015 saw them go 11-5. They started 1-5 and then won ten straight games. That kind of resilience became the team's calling card.
2016 was a 12-4 campaign. They won the AFC West, but again, they flamed out in the playoffs, losing to the Steelers in a game where Pittsburgh didn't even score a touchdown—only field goals.
That was the ceiling. Everyone knew it. You could feel it in the air at Arrowhead. The team was good, but they weren't special. They were a safe bet for a winning record, but a long shot for a parade.
The Patrick Mahomes Inflection Point
In 2017, the Chiefs went 10-6. It was another solid year, but the real story was happening on the scout team. Patrick Mahomes was sitting behind Alex Smith, learning how to be a professional. When the team finally moved on from Smith and handed the keys to the kid with the "Kermit the Frog" voice in 2018, the Chiefs record by year stopped being about "just making the playoffs" and started being about history.
2018 was a 12-4 explosion. Mahomes threw 50 touchdowns. 50!
They went 12-4 again in 2019. That was the Super Bowl year. The comeback against the Texans, the comeback against the Titans, the comeback against the Niners. They basically invented a new way to win football games by falling behind by double digits and then deciding to stop messing around.
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Since then, the numbers have been borderline stupid.
In 2020, they went 14-2.
In 2021, 12-5.
In 2022, 14-3.
Even in a "down" 2023 season where the offense looked out of sync and everyone was complaining about dropped passes, they still finished 11-6 and won the Super Bowl again.
What’s wild is that the Chiefs record by year shows they’ve won at least 10 games in every single season Mahomes has been the starter. Think about that. Most fanbases would give anything for one 10-win season. For Kansas City, it’s now the bare minimum. They’ve turned the AFC West—a division that used to be a dogfight—into their own personal backyard.
Why the Post-2013 Consistency is Different
Usually, teams have "cycles." You win for three years, your cap space explodes, you lose your coordinators, and you go 7-10 for a while to reset. The Patriots avoided this for twenty years. Now, the Chiefs are doing the same thing.
Look at the transition after the Tyreek Hill trade. Most experts thought the Chiefs record by year would finally take a hit in 2022. They lost arguably the fastest player in league history. Instead, they got better defensively. They became more efficient. They adjusted. That’s the hallmark of the Reid era—the ability to evolve the roster without sacrificing the win column.
The record also reflects a massive shift in how they play at home. Arrowhead Stadium used to be a place where teams went to lose in the playoffs (if you were a Chiefs fan). Now, it’s a fortress. Since 2018, the Chiefs have hosted the AFC Championship game almost every single year. That kind of home-field dominance is why their yearly win totals stay so high; they rarely lose more than one or two games in Kansas City.
Breaking Down the Mahomes Era Win Percentages
If you aggregate the Chiefs record by year since 2018, the win percentage is north of .750. To put that in perspective, if you play a 17-game season, that means you're averaging 13 wins a year.
- 2018: 12-4 (.750)
- 2019: 12-4 (.750)
- 2020: 14-2 (.875)
- 2021: 12-5 (.706)
- 2022: 14-3 (.824)
- 2023: 11-6 (.647) - This was considered their "struggle" year.
- 2024: 14-3 (.824)
It's essentially a flat line of excellence. The variance is tiny. While other teams in the division like the Chargers or Raiders go through massive swings of 4-12 followed by 9-8, the Chiefs just stay parked at the top. It’s boring if you aren’t a fan, but it’s a masterpiece of roster management by Brett Veach.
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The Lessons of the 90s and Early 2000s
We can't ignore the context of the Marty Schottenheimer or Dick Vermeil years. In the 90s, the Chiefs record by year was actually quite good. They had seasons of 13-3 (1995 and 1997). They had the "Nigerian Nightmare" Christian Okoye and later, the greatest tight end ever in Tony Gonzalez.
The difference between then and now? The record didn't translate. In 1995, they had the best record in the NFL and lost their first playoff game to the Colts because of missed field goals. In 2003, under Vermeil, they went 13-3 with a high-powered offense and lost a playoff game where neither team punted.
The modern Chiefs record by year is more impressive because it’s backed up by hardware. Winning 12 games means something different now than it did in 1997. Back then, it felt like a setup for disappointment. Now, it feels like a countdown to a trophy.
What This Means for Future Betting and Fantasy
If you’re looking at these trends for a reason—maybe you're a bettor or you’re just obsessed with NFL history—there is a very clear takeaway. The Chiefs are the safest "Over" bet in professional sports. Since Andy Reid took over in 2013, they have had exactly zero losing seasons.
Zero.
Even in the years where the roster was thin or the defense was ranked in the bottom five (hello, 2018), the coaching and quarterback play were enough to drag them to double-digit wins. It’s a level of stability that shouldn't exist in a league designed for parity. The NFL wants everyone to be 8-9 or 9-8. The Chiefs have basically opted out of that system.
How to Track Chiefs Progress Moving Forward
To truly understand the Chiefs record by year, you need to look at more than just the final standing. Watch the "strength of victory" metric. As the Chiefs keep winning, their schedule gets harder every year because they always play a first-place schedule. Yet, the record doesn't dip.
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If you want to keep tabs on how this dynasty stacks up against the 70s Steelers, the 80s Niners, or the 2000s Patriots, here is how you should analyze their upcoming seasons:
Check the divisional record first. The Chiefs have dominated the AFC West so thoroughly that they usually start the season with a 4- or 5-win cushion just from their own neighborhood. If that divisional win percentage ever starts to slip, that’s the first sign the dynasty is cracking.
Look at the record in December and January. The "Reid-Mahobs" era is defined by finishing strong. Their Chiefs record by year is often bolstered by 5-0 or 6-0 runs to close out the season.
Monitor the injury luck. Part of their sustained success has been the availability of Mahomes. While he’s played through high ankle sprains and various bruises, he hasn't missed significant time.
The data is clear. We are living through a statistical anomaly. The Chiefs record by year since 2013 is one of the most impressive stretches of professional football ever played. Whether you're a die-hard member of the Kingdom or someone just waiting for the downfall, the numbers don't lie. They’ve found a formula that works, and until Andy Reid decides he’s had enough cheeseburgers and calls it a career, there’s no reason to expect these win totals to drop.
Keep an eye on the official NFL standings and Pro Football Reference for real-time updates as each season progresses. To get the most out of this data, compare the Chiefs' win-loss margins against other AFC contenders like the Bengals or Bills. This reveals that the Chiefs aren't just winning; they are winning the specific "clutch" games that decide home-field advantage. Focus on their performance in one-score games—that is typically where the Chiefs record by year separates itself from the rest of the league.