Kansas

Longest division title streaks: Kansas City Chiefs on brink of nine in a row

Published

1 year ago

December 8, 2024

Longest division title streaks: Kansas City Chiefs on brink of nine in a row

Each passing season seems to move the Kansas City Chiefs one step closer to matching the legacy of the New England Patriots’ Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era.

Kansas City could clinch a ninth straight divisional title with a win over the Los Angeles Chargers on “Sunday Night Football.” Should they clinch on Sunday night, or at any point down the stretch, they’ll be within arm’s reach of the Patriots’ all-time record.

The Chiefs already have the second-longest streak of consecutive division titles in NFL history after surpassing the 1970s Los Angeles Rams last year. But they still need to win three more in a row – including this year – to match the Patriots’ record of 11 between 2009 and 2019.

With its 11-1 record, Kansas City already holds a three-game lead over the Chargers in the AFC West headed into Sunday’s clash. Even if the Chiefs lose and their lead shrinks to two games, they’ll still have four more weeks to try to clinch the title and extend their streak.

Here’s a full list of the longest division championship streaks in NFL history:

Longest NFL division title streaks

T-4. Cleveland Browns (1950-55); Minnesota Vikings (1973-1978); Pittsburgh Steelers (1974-79)

If there’s one thing to take away from this list, it’s that it’s very hard to accomplish what the Chiefs have in the last seven or eight years, especially in the modern era.

The Browns, Vikings and Steelers all put together six-year runs of division title wins in the middle of the 20th century. Until the mid-2010s, those streaks were tied for the second-longest in NFL history.

When the NFL substantially overhauled its scheduling system and expanded the regular season to 16 games in 1978, those streaks died shortly thereafter. No team was able to win six or more divisional titles in a row again until the Patriots hit that mark in 2014, 35 years later.

Notably, all three of these teams to earn six straight division titles relied heavily on strong defense. The Browns gave up the fewest yards and fewest points in 1953 and 1954, the first time in NFL history a team managed to do it twice in a row. The Vikings had the “Purple People Eaters” on the defensive line. The Steelers had the “Steel Curtain.”

3. Los Angeles Rams (1973-79)

Like the other teams dominating the NFL around this time, the Rams were able to win consistently because of their defense. They finished in the top three in the NFC in points allowed every year besides 1979 during this run.

Unlike some of the other dynastic teams, the Rams also wore opponents down on offense. They consistently scored over 300 points per season in a time where there were only 14 games in a season. The Rams won just one Super Bowl during their excellent run, but they held onto the record for longest divisional win streak for 35 years.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (2016-present)

The Chiefs’ run of dominance dates back to before Patrick Mahomes came to town. Head coach Andy Reid and then-Chiefs starter Alex Smith brought Kansas City back to prominence in the mid-2010s. Then Mahomes took over in 2018, and the rest is history.

The Chiefs have found many ways to win over the last few years. They’ve had super-powered offenses help bring them championships, and when their offense took a step back, their defense stepped up and showed off how dominant it can be.

This year has been one of the strangest Chiefs seasons during this run as Kansas City continues to find the most bizarre ways to win: blocked field goals, botched snaps and game-winning drives against the Carolina Panthers, to name a few.

If the Chiefs are able to win the AFC West looking like they have this year, there really might be nothing stopping them from reaching the levels of dominance the Patriots had over their division in the 2000s and 2010s.

1. New England Patriots (2009-2019)

Every NFL fan older than 10 years old remembers how dominant the Brady-Belichick Patriots were.

Every year, they had a defense among the best in the league. They had Brady’s consistency under center. They had a plethora of excellent pass-catching weapons from Wes Welker to Aaron Hernandez to Rob Gronkowski to Julian Edelman.

The Patriots’ streak was almost even more (seemingly) unbreakable. New England won five straight division titles from 2003-2007, but in 2008, they lost the division to the Miami Dolphins thanks to a conference record tiebreaker. If they had won the AFC East that year, they’d have won 17 in a row.

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Kansas

IU football lands Kansas State transfer edge rusher Tobi Osunsanmi

Published

6 hours ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

IU football lands Kansas State transfer edge rusher Tobi Osunsanmi

Indiana’s portal haul continued to grow Sunday as multiple outlets reported the addition of Kansas State edge rusher Tobi Osunsanmi.

Osunsanmi has played in 36 games over the last four years and has 8.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. Most of that production came over the last two seasons. He has a total of 47 QB pressures during his college career.

In 2025 he played in six games and had 20 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks. He suffered a season-ending injury in October.

He saw action in all 13 games in 2024 as a reserve defensive end and on special teams, recording 19 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble over 303 defensive snaps and 31 special teams plays.

In 2023 he saw time in all 13 games as a reserve linebacker, a rush end on passing downs and on special teams. He was tied for team-high honors with five tackles on kickoff coverage.

He played in four games in 2022 and preserved his redshirt.

The 6-foot-3 and 250-pound Osunsanmi has one year of eligibility remaining.

The Wichita, Kan. product (Wichita East H.S.) was regarded as the 232nd-best overall player in the nation for the Class of 2022 by 247Sports.

Osunsanmi will help fill the void left by outgoing edge rushers Mikail Kamara, Kellan Wyatt and Stephen Daley.

More transfer portal information:

For complete coverage of IU football recruiting, GO HERE.

The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”

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Kansas football transfer portal tracker: Jan. 4 developments for KU

Published

18 hours ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Kansas football transfer portal tracker: Jan. 4 developments for KU

LAWRENCE — The Division I transfer portal window for college football is open from Jan. 2 through Jan. 16, and that means Sunday is another chance for the Kansas football program to shape its roster.

The Jayhawks already gained one public addition earlier this offseason in Grand Valley State transfer Jibriel Conde — whose signing was announced Dec. 4. Conde, who is making the jump up from Division II, is a 247Sports-rated three-star defensive lineman in the portal and is listed by KU as a defensive tackle. On Saturday, a number of current Kansas players — including redshirt freshman quarterback Isaiah Marshall, redshirt sophomore wide receiver Keaton Kubecka and redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Blake Herold — also outlined in social media posts on X that they are locked in with the program for the 2026 season.

Marshall is set to compete for the starting quarterback job next season. Kubecka has the chance to step up into a more significant role at wide receiver. Herold is in line to be a key part of Kansas’ defensive line.

Those positives, though, don’t outweigh the fact that there has been a sizable group of players who have revealed their intentions to transfer away. Looking overall, when it comes to those whose decisions became public before and after the portal opened, the significant names to know include redshirt senior safety Lyrik Rawls, redshirt junior linebacker Trey Lathan and freshman quarterback David McComb. Lathan led KU in tackles in 2025.

Check in here for more updates during this transfer portal window about a KU team that finished 5-7 during the 2025 season, with transfer ratings as outlined by 247Sports.

Kansas football transfer portal additions

Jibriel Conde (3-star defensive lineman from Grand Valley State) — KU lists him as a defensive tackle

Kansas football transfer portal departures

Joseph Sipp Jr. (linebacker)

Jacoby Davis (cornerback)

Dylan Brooks (defensive end)

Jaidyn Doss (wide receiver)

Carter Lavrusky (offensive lineman)

Trey Lathan (linebacker)

Tyler Mercer (offensive lineman)

Harry Stewart III (running back)

Caleb Redd (3-star edge) — KU lists him as a defensive end

Aundre Gibson (3-star cornerback)

David McComb (3-star quarterback)

Kene Anene (3-star interior offensive lineman) — KU lists him as an offensive lineman

Laquan Robinson (3-star safety)

Jameel Croft Jr. (3-star cornerback)

Logan Brantley (3-star linebacker)

Greydon Grimes (3-star offensive tackle) — KU lists him as an offensive lineman

Jon Jon Kamara (3-star linebacker)

Lyrik Rawls (3-star safety)

Damani Maxson (3-star safety)

Jaden Hamm (tight end)

Bryce Cohoon (wide receiver)

JaCorey Stewart (linebacker)

Johnny Thompson Jr. (running back)

Efren Jasso (punter)

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

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