Remember when all of the country outside of New England wanted the Chiefs to knock off the Patriots in the 2018 AFC Championship Game? Football fans had grown weary of the ultra-successful team playing in its eighth straight conference title game.

Little did we know that’s when Chiefs began their path to becoming the same team. Sunday marks the Chiefs’ seventh straight AFC title game appearance, this time against the Buffalo Bills.

On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, columnists Sam McDowell and Vahe Gregorian and beat writer Jesse Newell break down what it took for the Chiefs to reach this point and how they can make it three straight Super Bowl trips with a victory at home on Sunday.

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The Chiefs are back in a familiar place, the AFC playoffs at Arrowhead Stadium. The two-time defending NFL champion begins the quest for an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title with Saturday’s meeting in the AFC Divisional Round against the Houston Texans.

The teams met last month in Week 16 of the regular season with the Chiefs prevailing 27-19. How could this game be different? Star columnists Sam McDowell and Vahe Gregorian along with beat writer Jesse Newell break down the game and the Chiefs’ chances against a rugged Houston defense on SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast.

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On a day when the Chiefs’ offense sputtered and Patrick Mahomes didn’t finish the game with an ankle injury, the defense rose to the occasion and its best game of the season.

In a 21-7 victory over the Cleveland Browns, the Chiefs came up with six takeaways and five sacks. Kansas City looks to keep it going on Saturday when it plays host to the Houston Texans.

On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast (now with video), columnist Vahe Gregorian and beat writer Jesse Newell break down the triumph in Cleveland and look ahead to the stretch run, as the Chiefs look to hold off the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers to claim the AFC’s No. 1 seed.

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Sometimes while breaking down the uneven play and the wild finishes we lose sight of the big picture when it comes to the Chiefs. They’re 12-1 for the first time in franchise history. Plenty of good is happening.

On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s Chiefs podcast, beat writer Jesse Newell and columnist Vahe Gregorian break down the Chiefs with an emphasis on their latest heart-stopping triumph, a walk-off field goal off the upright by Matthew Wright to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers 19-17.

Also, with the AFC West title clinched, what will it take for the Chiefs to secure the AFC’s top seed? What happens at left tackle, and was that training camp fan favorite Nikko Remigio making his NFL debut last weekend?

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One thing seems certain: The Chiefs don’t lead the NFL in style points.

They’re coming off their second straight unimpressive victory, a 19-17 survival of the lowly Las Vegas Raiders, a week after a similar outcome against the Carolina Panthers.

Still, at 11-1, the Chiefs own the NFL’s top record. On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, columnist Sam McDowell and beat writer Jesse Newell break down how the Chiefs can maintain an excellent record while improving enough to remain on track toward another Super Bowl.

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The perfect record for 2024 and the 15-game winning streak over the past two seasons are gone with the Chiefs’ loss at the Buffalo Bills last weekend. Where to the Chiefs go from here?

On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s Chiefs’ podcast, beat writer Jesse Newell and columnist Vahe Gregorian dive into what happened in Buffalo -- from the defensive mistake on the Josh Allen game-clinching touchdown run to another deep misconnection from Patrick Mahomes to Xavier Worthy -- and what must be fixed for the Chiefs to get back on track.

Also, with a game at the Carolina Panthers looming, this could be the week for the return of running back Isiah Pacheco and defensive end Charles Omenihu, and what that could mean for the Chiefs.

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Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: A Chiefs game decided on the final snap of the game. It happened for the fourth time in five home games last weekend as the Chiefs outlasted the Denver Broncos because Leo Chenal blocked a field goal attempt.

On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, columnists Sam McDowell and Vahe Gregorian and beat writer Jesse Newell break down how the Chiefs found themselves in a block-or-likely-lose situation and what needs to improve this week as they take on the Buffalo Bills in one of the marquee games this season.

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Another week, another victory for the Chiefs. They improved to 8-0 with an overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, getting a big game from new wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, a scary ankle injury from Patrick Mahomes, and perhaps a fortunate decision by the Bucs not to go for a two-point conversation in the final seconds of regulation.

On SportsBeat KC, The Star’s sports podcast, columnists Sam McDowell and Vahe Gregorian and beat writer Jesse Newell discuss the game and look ahead, not just to Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos but the remainder of the season and consider the possibilities of a perfect season.

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