text: Heading into the 2018–19 NFL playoffs, the Chiefs were sitting at 12–4 and were the #1 seed in the AFC. After the Indianapolis Colts were able to beat the Houston Texans on the road, the Colts came to Kansas City to play the Chiefs in a divisional round matchup. The Colts to this point were 4–0 against the Chiefs in the playoffs and had given them plenty of trouble in the past. However, the Chiefs continued their stellar season with an impressive victory over the Colts, as the Chiefs won 31–13 and did not falter down the stretch like some of their previous postseason games in the Andy Reid era. This win came on a combination of four rushing touchdowns and a defense that only allowed six points, as the other seven came on a blocked punt that was recovered for a touchdown. With this victory, the Chiefs were able to host the AFC Championship Game for the first time in team history, and this was the first time ever that Kansas City had hosted a conference championship or a championship game in the AFL or NFL. After the New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Chargers, the matchup was set: Patriots at Chiefs for the AFC Championship.
  In the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs started out slow and were shut out in the first half, and the Patriots were leading 14–0. By the fourth quarter, however, the Chiefs were winning 21–17. The teams traded blows during the fourth quarter, where the two teams combined to score 38 points in the quarter. Down 31–28 with one timeout and only 39 seconds to go, the Chiefs were able to drive down the field and kick a field goal to send the game into overtime. However, the Chiefs did not win the coin toss and the Patriots received the ball to begin overtime. The Chiefs were able to get the Patriots into three 3rd down and 10 to go situations, however the Patriots converted on all of them and eventually scored a touchdown to win the game by a score of 37–31. It was the third consecutive year where the Chiefs had lost a playoff game by six points or less.