The Chiefs need overtime to beat Texas on their way to their seventh straight division title

HOUSTON — The Kansas City Chiefs, who in their first 55 years of existence have not won back-to-back division titles, won their seventh consecutive AFC West championship Sunday by defeating the Houston Texans 30-24 in overtime. .

The Texans (1-12-1) made things interesting for the Chiefs (11-3). Houston led 14-13 at halftime, and Kansas City didn’t lead until nine minutes left in the third quarter.

But on its second possession of overtime, after a fumble by a Texas quarterback Davis MillsHeads running backwards Jerrick McKinnon He rushed 26 yards for the game-winning touchdown.

Their seven consecutive division titles tie the Los Angeles Rams (1973-79) for the second-longest streak in NFL history. The New England Patriots won the AFC East in 11 consecutive seasons from 2009 to 2019.

Kansas City also holds the longest active league title in the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL, according to Elias Sports Bureau data.

The Chiefs are chasing the Buffalo Bills (11-3) for the #1 seed in the AFC playoff. The top seed gets the conference’s only first-round advantage and a bye at home through the Super Bowl. The Chiefs have not played a road playoff game since Patrick Mahomes He became the starting quarterback in 2018.

The Bills hold the tiebreaker over the Chiefs due to a 24-20 win in Kansas City in Week 6.