Los Angeles Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs

The Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs have shared the same division since the AFL was established in 1960. As members of the AFC West, these two teams have been among the top teams various seasons in the league. In the 2019 postseason; both the Chargers and the Chiefs made the postseason.

History of Chargers vs. Chiefs Rivalry

The first division they shared was the AFL Western Conference, and since the AFL-NFL Merger, the American Football Conference (AFC) West. The Chargers spent their first season in LA, but they were the San Diego Chargers after that until 2016, when they moved back to Los Angeles.

The Chiefs were also the Dallas Texans from 1960-1962 before becoming the Kansas City Chiefs in 1963. An interesting fact about these franchises is that the Chiefs are one of three teams with a winning record against all of their divisional opponents with at least 100 head-to-head games (the other two are the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers). The other interesting thing is that the Chargers are one of only two teams with a losing record against all of their divisional opponents with at least 100 head-to-head games (along with the Detroit Lions).

Head to Head Analysis of Chargers vs. Chiefs

These teams have played in a total of 118 games against each other, with the Chiefs leading that series by a record of 61-56-1. The script has flipped in every decade of this rivalry as neither team has posted a winning record in consecutive decades. The Bolts had their longest win streak from 1979-1981 when they won 6 in a row, and Kansas City had won 9 in a row before losing the most recent game in this rivalry.

These games have not always been pretty, though, as the Chiefs own the largest defeat in this rivalry by a score of 49-6 in 1964. However, the Chargers’ largest victory is much more recent and occurred when they shut out the Chiefs 31-0 in 2010. Besides those large margins of defeat, this has been a close rivalry over the years, and they have both seen a similar amount of postseason success.

A Glance at Postseason Success in Chargers vs. Chiefs Rivalry

The first big difference in their postseason resumes is the one Super Bowl the Chiefs have against nil for the Chargers. Kansas City appeared in the first-ever Super Bowl, but they lost to the Green Bay Packers. They redeemed themselves just three years later in 1969 with their one and only Super Bowl win.

The Chargers have appeared once in the Super Bowl in 1994, but they lost to the 49ers in a lopsided game. The Chiefs have made the playoffs 21 times versus 19 times for the Chargers. LA does have more AFC West Divisional Championships with 10 total even though the Chiefs have won the last 3—putting them just 1 away from LAC. The Chiefs have actually never won the AFC since it was formed in 1970, but they narrowly missed it this season.

The Chargers and Chiefs had the two best records in the entire AFC this season by going 12-4, and Kansas City took the top seed from the AFC West as they won the tie-breaker between the two. Both of these teams have a lot of young talent that will propel this rivalry into even greater intensity. RB Melvin Gordon and WR Mike Williams are two electric offensive weapons in the Bolts’ arsenal. They also have a young defensive core in S Derwin James, LB Jatavis Brown, and CB’s Desmond King and Michael Davis. The Chiefs certainly do not lack young players either, and they have one of the most exciting players in football with QB Patrick Mahomes.

He also has help in one of the quickest receivers in the game, Tyreek Hill. On defense, CB Kendall Fuller is the best of their young squad, along with some other contributors like LB Reggie Ragland and CB Steven Nelson. It is tough to predict which team will fare better, but it’s easy to say that these two will run the AFC West for the foreseeable future.