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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

RESULTS: NE Kansas high schools to play Friday after Tuesday sub-state wins

Published

8 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

RESULTS: NE Kansas high schools to play Friday after Tuesday sub-state wins

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Below is a look at the results from Tuesday night’s high school basketball sub-state semifinals in Northeast Kansas.

Editor’s Note: This story will be updated with what schools are hosting when that information becomes readily available.

WIBW Scoreboard

BOYS

5A East Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

KC Washington 68, Highland Park 38
Shawnee Heights 49, De Soto 37 (will play Leavenworth Friday)

5A West Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Topeka West 55, Hutchinson 32 (will play Bishop Carroll Friday)
Emporia 61, Great Bend 41 (will play Maize South Friday)
Seaman 73, Valley Center 51 (will play Hays Friday)

3A West Franklin Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Burlington 60, Osage City 35 (will play Baxter Springs Friday)

3A Sabetha Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Hiawatha 73, Oskaloosa 48 (will play Heritage Christian Friday)
Silver Lake 58, Sabetha 39 (will play Perry-Lecompton Friday 7:30 p.m.)

GIRLS

6A West Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Washburn Rural 60, Wichita South 32 (will play Derby)
Topeka High 69, Maize 45 (will play Liberal)
Manhattan 67, Free State 21 (will play Wichita East)

4A East Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Rock Creek 71, Parsons 23 (will play Tonganoxie)
Wamego 54, Labette County 33 (will play Bishop Miege)
Hayden 2, Athison 0 (will play Baldwin)

2A Eskridge/Mission Valley Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Rossville 71, KC Christian 49 (will play Maur Hill-Mount Academy)
Lyndon 61, Jeff. Co. North 31 (will play Valley Heights)
Valley Heights 65, Doniphan West 41 (will play Lyndon)

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Doe v. State of Kansas | American Civil Liberties Union

Published

20 hours ago

March 3, 2026

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Doe v. State of Kansas | American Civil Liberties Union

In early 2026, the Kansas state legislature passed SB 244, a law which prohibits transgender people from using public restrooms on government property that align with their gender identity and establishes a private right of action that allows anyone who suspects someone is transgender and in violation of the law to sue that person for “damages” totaling $1,000.

The law also invalidates state-issued driver’s licenses with updated gender markers that reflect the carrier’s gender identity. In February 2026, transgender people across the state received letters from the state Department of Revenue’s Division of Vehicles informing them that their driver’s licenses “will no longer be valid,” effective immediately. SB 244 also prohibits transgender Kansans – or those born in Kansas – from updating the gender marker on state-issued birth certificates and driver’s licenses in the future.

The same day SB 244 went into effect, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Kansas, and Ballard Spahr LLP filed a lawsuit challenging SB 244 in the District Court of Douglas County on behalf of two transgender men who had their driver’s licenses invalidated under the law. The lawsuit charges that SB 244 violates the Kansas Constitution’s protections for personal autonomy, privacy, equality under the law, due process, and freedom of speech.

“The invalidation of state-issued IDs threatens to out transgender people against their will every time they apply for a job, rent an apartment, or interact with police,” said Harper Seldin, Senior Staff Attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Rights Project. “Taken as a whole, SB 244 is a transparent attempt to deny transgender people autonomy over their own identities and push them out of public life altogether.”

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Kansas City man sentenced for cocaine trafficking, possession of illegal firearm

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

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Kansas City man sentenced for cocaine trafficking, possession of illegal firearm

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A Kansas City man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy and possession of an illegal firearm.

According to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, 22-year-old Antoine R. Gillum was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole.

His sentencing stems from a June 2024 incident in a metro gas station. KCPD investigators contacted Gillum inside and found that he had discarded a 9 mm pistol in an aisle between the merchandise. He also discarded a pill bottle containing multiple illegal substances: cocaine base, oxycodone/acetaminophen and oxycodone.

Officers searched the vehicle Gillum had arrived in and found approximately 32 grams of cocaine base.

On May 6, 2025, Gillum pleaded guilty to one count each of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Jennings. It’s a part of ‘Operation Take Back America,’ a nationwide Department of Justice initiative to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations.

No further information has been released.

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