KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Chiefs’ quest for Super Bowl 50 officially begins with the first round of the NFL playoffs set.
Jan. 4, 2016; Kansas City, MO; Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (19) celebrates with wide receiver Jason Avant (81) after scoring a touchdown against the Oakland Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium. (Emily DeShazer/The Topeka Capital-Journal)
No. 5 Kansas City (11-5) travels to Houston to face the No. 4 Texans (9-7), winners of the AFC South, at 3:35 p.m. CT on Saturday, Jan. 9.
The first round of Wild Card Weekend features a rematch of Week 1, which saw the Chiefs emerge victorious 27-20 at NRG Stadium.
Houston is also the site of the Chiefs’ last playoff win, which came against the Oilers on Jan. 16, 1994.
History aside, the Chiefs look to extend a franchise-record 10-game winning streak into the postseason in what has been a magical year in sports for two of Kansas City’s biggest sports teams.
The 2015 season marked the first time in Kansas City history the Royals and Chiefs made the postseason in a season.
Coincidentally, the Royals jumpstarted their run to a World Series crown in Houston behind a five-run rally in the eighth inning against the Astros in Game 4 of the ALDS.
The Chiefs officially started the winning streak on Oct. 25, but the streak crossed paths with the Royals when the Royals won the World Series on Nov. 1.
“Maybe there’s something to that,” defensive end Mike DeVito said after Sunday’s game. “We can bring two titles back here.”
Should the Chiefs advance, they will either travel to face the No. 2 New England Patriots (12-4) or No. 1 Denver Broncos (12-4) in the divisional round of the playoffs depending on the outcome between the No. 6 Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) and No. 3 Cincinnati Bengals (12-4).
The Patriots will host the higher seed from Wild Card Weekend, while the Broncos host the lower seed. The Patriots and Broncos have a first-round bye.
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Herbie Teope is the lead Chiefs beat writer for ChiefsDigest.com and The Topeka Capital-Journal. Use the contact page to reach him or find him on Twitter: @HerbieTeope.
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