| Team: | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Year: | 2021 |
| Record: | 12–5 |
| Division Place: | 1st AFC West |
| Coach: | Andy Reid |
| Owner: | The Hunt family |
| Stadium: | Arrowhead Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Steelers) 42–21 Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Bills) 42–36 Lost AFC Championship (vs. Bengals) 24–27 |
| Mvp: | Tyrann Mathieu |
| Roy: | Nick Bolton |
| Shortnavlink: | Chiefs seasons |
The 2021 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 52nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 62nd overall and their ninth under head coach Andy Reid, looking to become the fourth team in NFL history to make three straight Super Bowls.
The Chiefs started off slowly at 3–4 but would finish the regular season 12–5, winning the AFC West division title for the sixth consecutive season. The Chiefs would host their fourth straight conference championship but lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime 27–24.[1] [2]
This would be the final season with long-time wide receiver Tyreek Hill, as he was traded to the Miami Dolphins on March 23, 2022. A 6-time Pro Bowler during his time with Kansas City, Hill's final game with the Chiefs was on January 30, 2022, the aforementioned AFC Championship Game vs. the Bengals.
Head coach Andy Reid recorded his 100th win as the Chiefs head coach on October 3, 2021, a 42–30 win over his former team, Philadelphia Eagles. Reid became the first coach in NFL history to win 100 games as a head coach with multiple teams as well as the first to lead multiple teams to four straight Conference Championships, previously doing so with the Eagles from the 2001 to 2004 seasons.
On March 4, 2021, the Chiefs announced that they had officially renamed Arrowhead Stadium, GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.[3]
The Chiefs lost two of their longest tenured players in the offseason. Tackle Eric Fisher was released[4] and fullback Anthony Sherman retired.[5] Both players joined the Chiefs in 2013.
In the offseason, the Chiefs announced they would once again retire their live horse mascot Warpaint to continue with their commitment to stop using Native American imagery.[6]
The Chiefs opened the season on September 12 with a 33–29 victory over the Cleveland Browns. The win was the Chiefs' 15th consecutive win in September.[7] The Chiefs would lose their next two games to give them a 1–2 record after three games, which was their first losing record in 89 games, dating back to week 10 of the 2015 season.[8] The Chiefs' 20–38 week 5 loss to the Buffalo Bills, was the Chiefs' first double-digit loss in the regular season since 2017 and the Chiefs' first double-digit loss at home since 2014. In Week 7, the Chiefs lost 3–27 to the Tennessee Titans, which is the fewest points scored in a game since Patrick Mahomes became the quarterback. The Chiefs maintained a non-winning record until a week 9 victory over the Green Bay Packers. That 7-week stretch without a winning record was the Chiefs' longest stretch without a winning record since 2012 when they held a losing record the entire season. After starting the season 3–4, the Chiefs won their ninth game in week 14 over the Las Vegas Raiders clinching their ninth consecutive winning season, one short of the franchise record of 10. The 48–9 victory over the Raiders was the largest in franchise history over the Raiders and the largest victory against any opponent since the 2006 season.[9] In week 16, following a 36–10 victory over the Steelers and a loss by the Chargers, the Chiefs clinched their sixth consecutive AFC West division championship and their franchise record seventh straight playoff berth.[10] The Chiefs finished the regular season 12–5, their fourth consecutive 12-win season, all four since Patrick Mahomes became the starting quarterback.
Kansas City defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 42–21 in the Wild Card round of the 2021–22 NFL playoffs. They would then host Buffalo in the Divisional round, winning that game 42–36 in overtime. This game was hailed as one of the greatest modern NFL playoff games, with both teams combining for 25 points in the final two minutes of regulation.[11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] The following week, despite being favored to win the AFC Championship game, the Chiefs would lose the game in an upset to the Bengals in overtime 24–27, a game in which they led 21–3 at one point in the second quarter.
See main article: NFL Top 100 Players of 2021.
NFL Network began announcing their annual top 100 list on August 15, 2021. Five Chiefs players were named to the list. Defensive end Frank Clark is the only player still on the roster that was ranked the previous season that went unranked for the 2021 season. Tight end Travis Kelce was ranked 5th, which is the highest ranking ever for a tight end in the history of the Top 100. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was ranked 1st on the list, which was the first time a Chiefs player was ranked the number one.
| Rank | Player | Position | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Mahomes | Quarterback | 3 | |
| 5 | Travis Kelce | Tight end | 13 | |
| 15 | Tyreek Hill | Wide receiver | 7 | |
| 34 | Chris Jones | Defensive tackle | 2 | |
| 58 | Tyrann Mathieu | Safety | 19 |
Transactions listed below occurred between the day after Super Bowl LV, February 8, and August 14, the day of the Chiefs first preseason game.
Source unless otherwise noted[18]
| 2021 Kansas City Chiefs Coaching staff changes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old coach | Reason | Position | New coach | |
| Deland McCullough[19] | Running backs coach | Greg Lewis | ||
| Britt Reid[20] | Contract expired, not re-signed for disciplinary reasons | Linebackers/outside linebackers coach | Ken Flajole | |
| Greg Lewis | Title change to Running backs coach | Wide receivers | Joe Bleymaier | |
| Joe Bleymaier | Title change to Wide receivers coach | Pass game analyst / assistant quarterbacks | David Giradi | |
| David Giradi | Title change to Pass game analyst / Assistant quarterbacks | Offensive quality control | Connor Embree | |
| Connor Embree | Title change to Offensive quality control | Defensive assistant | Donald D'Alesio |
Below are players who were on the roster at the end of the 2020 season, but were either released or did not re-sign after their contract expired. If a player resigns during the offseason, their name will be removed from the list.
| 2021 Kansas City Chiefs Players lost | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | Reason | |
| Le'Veon Bell[21] | RB | ||
| Bashaud Breeland[22] | CB | UFA | |
| Alex Brown[23] | CB | ||
| T | Released | ||
| Antonio Hamilton[24] | CB | UFA | |
| Tanoh Kpassagnon[25] | DE | UFA | |
| Kelechi Osemele[26] | G | UFA | |
| Mike Pennel[27] | DT | UFA | |
| Martinas Rankin[28] | T | Released | |
| Austin Reiter[29] | C | UFA | |
| T | Released | ||
| Sammy Watkins[30] | WR | UFA | |
| Damien Williams[31] | RB | Released | |
| Damien Wilson[32] | LB | UFA | |
| Deon Yelder[33] | TE |
Players that were on the Chiefs roster at the end of the season who announced their retirement before the preseason are listed below, even if their contract with the Chiefs had officially expired prior to their announcement.
| 2021 Kansas City Chiefs Retirements | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | NFL seasons | Seasons with the Chiefs | |
| Anthony Sherman[34] | FB | 10 | 8 | |
| Nick Keizer[35] | TE | 4 | 2 | |
| Daniel Kilgore[36] | C | 10 | 1 |
| 2021 Kansas City Chiefs Additions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | |
| G | ||
| G | ||
| TE | ||
| QB | ||
| QB | ||
| Gehrig Dieter | WR | |
| Dalton Schoen | WR | |
| WR | ||
| WR | ||
| Jody Fortson | TE | |
| Maurice Ffrench | WR | |
| RB | ||
| TE | ||
| Evan Baylis | TE | |
| T | ||
| Bryan Witzmann | T | |
| Darryl Williams* | G | |
| Tyler Clark | DT | |
| Demone Harris | DE | |
| Austin Edwards | DE | |
| Omari Cobb | LB | |
| Emmanuel Smith | LB | |
| Deandre Baker | CB | |
| Rodney Clemons | S | |
| DT | ||
| RB | ||
| FB | ||
| C | ||
| WR | ||
| LB | ||
| WR | ||
| WR |
Listed below are trades were a player was included in the trade.
| 2021 Kansas City Chiefs Trades | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Received | Compensation | |
| 1st-round selection 2021 3rd-round selection 2021 4th-round selection 2021 5th-round selection 2022 | |||
| 6th-round selection 2022 |
See main article: 2021 NFL draft.
| 2021 Kansas City Chiefs Draft | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | |
| 2 | 58 | Missouri | |||
| 63 | Oklahoma | ||||
| 4 | 144* | Florida State | |||
| 5 | 162 | Duke | |||
| 181* | Clemson | ||||
| 6 | 226 | Tennessee |
| Compensatory selection |
| 2021 Kansas City Chiefs UDFAs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | College | |
| S | BYU | ||
| CB | Nebraska | ||
| QB | SMU | ||
| Marlon Character | CB | Louisville | |
| Riley Cole | LB | South Alabama | |
| DE | Georgia | ||
| S | Western Kentucky | ||
| Jaylon McClain-Sapp | CB | Marshall | |
| Manny Patterson | CB | Maine |
Below are players who were signed and released in the offseason before playing for the team.
| 2021 Kansas City Chiefs Signed and released | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Position | |
| TE | ||
| QB | ||
| WR | ||
| Jaylon McClain-Sapp | CB | |
| LB | ||
| Drew Scott | LS |
Transactions listed below, occurred between August 15, the day after the Chiefs first preseason game, and September 12, the day of the Chiefs first regular season game.
Source for all transactions
The first preseason roster cutdown occurred on August 17. In addition the transactions below, the Chiefs placed running back Elijah McGuire on injured reserve.
| 2021 Kansas City Chiefs Cut to 85 | |
|---|---|
| Name | Position |
| TE | |
| WR | |
| Manny Patterson | CB |
| WR | |
The second preseason cutdown occurred on August 24. The Chiefs released or waived five players and did not use reserve lists to make the 80 player limit.
| 2021 Kansas City Chiefs Cut to 80 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | |
| DE | ||
| CB | ||
| G | ||
| Riley Cole | LB | |
| QB |
The third and final preseason cutdown occurred on August 31. In addition to the transactions below, the Chiefs traded a player, placed Kyle Long on the physically unable to perform list, and placed Malik Herring on the reserve/non-football injury list.
| 2021 Kansas City Chiefs Final Cutdown | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | |
| S | ||
| CB | ||
| QB | ||
| Marlon Character | CB | |
| Tyler Clark | DT | |
| Rodney Clemons | S | |
| LB | ||
| DE | ||
| WR | ||
| Derrick Gore | RB | |
| DE | ||
| WR | ||
| S | ||
| CB | ||
| OT | ||
| WR | ||
| Dalton Schoen | WR | |
| WR | ||
| LB | ||
| RB | ||
| OT | ||
| DE | ||
| Darryl Williams | C |
Listed below are trades were a player was included in the trade.
Below are transactions that occurred after the Chiefs first game through their final game. Transactions below are only transactions related to the Chiefs active roster. Practice squad transactions will not be included.
Source for transactions through December 31
Source for transactions after January 1[41]
Standard practice squad elevations allow a player to elevated from the practice squad to the active roster for a single game and revert back to the practice squad following the game. Below are standard elevations used by the Chiefs during the season.
| 2021 Kansas City Chiefs Standard elevations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Week(s) used | |
| S | 1 | ||
| CB | 4, 14 | ||
| Demone Harris | DE | 5, 6 | |
| LB | 7, 8 | ||
| Christian Rozeboom | LB | 7 | |
| DE | 8 | ||
| WR | 11,,, | ||
| CB | 14, 16 | ||
| Nakia Griffin-Stewart | TE | 16 | |
| Johnny Townsend | P | 16 | |
| RB | WC, DV |
Below are players elevated from the practice squad using a non-standard elevation, meaning, if the Chiefs want them to go back to the practice squad, they must clear waivers then sign them back to the practice squad.
| 2021 Kansas City Chiefs Non-Standard elevations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | |
| WR | ||
| Derrick Gore | RB | |
| OT | ||
| QB | ||
| S | ||
| K |
Listed below are trades where a player was included in the trade.
| 2021 Kansas City Chiefs Trades | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Received | Compensation | |
| 6th-round selection 2022 NFL draft | |||
| G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif |
| 2021 Kansas City Chiefs Cuts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | |
| LB | ||
| WR | ||
| TE | ||
| K | ||
| WR |
Players listed below were activated off injured reserve
| 2021 Kansas City Chiefs IR Activations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Date added to IR | Date activated | |
| LB | September 2 | October 9 | ||
| RB | October 12 | November 20 | ||
| RB | November 30 | January 1 | ||
| DE | October 5 | January 11 | ||
| DT | November 30 | January 25 |
The following players missed games because of the NFL's COVID-19 protocols. Typically, a player misses because of a positive test. Vaccinated players can return simply after a subsequent negative test, unvaccinated players are out for five days.
| 2021 Kansas City Chiefs COVID-19 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Week(s) missed | |
| DT | 15 | ||
| WR | 15 | ||
| LB | 15 | ||
| K | 16 | ||
| CB | 16 | ||
| G | 16 | ||
| P | 16 | ||
| LB | 16 | ||
| Travis Kelce[42] | TE | 16 | |
| OT | 16 |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 19–16 | 1–0 | Levi's Stadium | Recap | ||
| 2 | at Arizona Cardinals | W 17–10 | 2–0 | State Farm Stadium | Recap | ||
| 3 | Minnesota Vikings | W 28–25 | 3–0 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 12 | Cleveland Browns | W 33–29 | 1–0 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap | |
| 2 | September 19 | at Baltimore Ravens | L 35–36 | 1–1 | M&T Bank Stadium | Recap | |
| 3 | September 26 | Los Angeles Chargers | L 24–30 | 1–2 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap | |
| 4 | October 3 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 42–30 | 2–2 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap | |
| 5 | October 10 | Buffalo Bills | L 20–38 | 2–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap | |
| 6 | October 17 | at Washington Football Team | W 31–13 | 3–3 | FedExField | Recap | |
| 7 | October 24 | at Tennessee Titans | L 3–27 | 3–4 | Nissan Stadium | Recap | |
| 8 | New York Giants | W 20–17 | 4–4 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap | ||
| 9 | November 7 | Green Bay Packers | W 13–7 | 5–4 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap | |
| 10 | November 14 | at Las Vegas Raiders | W 41–14 | 6–4 | Allegiant Stadium | Recap | |
| 11 | November 21 | Dallas Cowboys | W 19–9 | 7–4 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap | |
| 12 | Bye | ||||||
| 13 | December 5 | Denver Broncos | W 22–9 | 8–4 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap | |
| 14 | December 12 | Las Vegas Raiders | W 48–9 | 9–4 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap | |
| 15 | at Los Angeles Chargers | W 34–28 | 10–4 | SoFi Stadium | Recap | ||
| 16 | December 26 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 36–10 | 11–4 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap | |
| 17 | January 2 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 31–34 | 11–5 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap | |
| 18 | at Denver Broncos | W 28–24 | 12–5 | Empower Field at Mile High | Recap | ||
See also: 2021–22 NFL playoffs.
| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | January 16 | Pittsburgh Steelers (7) | W 42–21 | 1–0 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap | |
| Divisional | January 23 | Buffalo Bills (3) | W 42–36 | 2–0 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap | |
| AFC Championship | January 30 | Cincinnati Bengals (4) | L 24–27 | 2–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
See main article: 2021 AFC Divisional playoff game (Buffalo–Kansas City).
| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passing offense | 4,791 | 281.8 | 4th | |
| Rushing offense | 1,955 | 115.0 | 16th | |
| Total offense | 6,746 | 396.8 | 3rd | |
| Passing defense | 4,273 | 251.4 | 27th | |
| Rushing defense | 1,999 | 117.6 | 21st | |
| Total defense | 6,272 | 368.9 | 27th |
| Category | Player | Total yards | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | |||
| Passing | 4,839 | ||
| Rushing | 558 | ||
| Receiving | 1,239 | ||
| Defense | |||
| Tackles (Solo) | 70 | ||
| Sacks | 9 | ||
| Interceptions | 3 | ||
Statistics correct as of the end of the 2021 NFL season[43] [44]