What the World Looked Like When Chiefs Last Missed Playoffs

The Kansas City Chiefs have officially been eliminated from playoff contention, which is a sentence that hasn't been said in over a decade. Here's how the pop culture world looked last time it was reality.

Dec 14, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid reacts to a play against the Los Angeles Chargers during the third quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

While it sounds crazy to say, the Kansas City Chiefs have been eliminated from playoff contention with three games remaining in the regular season. Losing to their AFC West division rival Los Angeles Chargers, for the second time in 2025, the division and playoff field will look vastly different this time around.

The Chiefs making the playoffs has become a regular occurrence since 2015, as they captured nine straight AFC West division titles and three Super Bowl championships along the way. The dynasty may be nearing its end, but it's still an impressive run to say the least.

Since so much time has passed since the Chiefs didn't make the playoffs, let's take a look down memory lane at what was popular in pop culture in 2014.

2014 Pop Culture

Dec 28, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid reacts on the sidelines during the second half against the San Diego Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 19-7. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

For starters, back in 2014, the Chiefs finished with a 9-7 record and second in the AFC West, but it still wasn't good enough to get them into the playoffs.

Before becoming the Chiefs' franchise quarterback, Patrick Mahomes saw his name get called in the 2014 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers. Mahomes decided to stick to playing football at Texas Tech, which would eventually pay off for him in the end.

Dec 29, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Patrick Mahomes (5) passes against the LSU Tigers at NRG Stadium. LSU won 56 to 27. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas B. Shea-Imagn Images

Bruno Mars was the star of the Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show, with a special appearance by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The Seattle Seahawks took home the Lombardi Trophy that year, as Russell Wilson defeated Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.

Feb 2, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Recording artist Bruno Mars performs during Super Bowl XLVIII half time show at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In the entertainment world, Guardians of the Galaxy was 2014's highest-grossing film in the United States, grossing $332,934,626, as "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1" was a close second.

Jul 27, 2014; Speedway, IN, USA; Actor Chris Pratt before the Crown Royal Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-Imagn Images | Mike DiNovo-Imagn Images

Additionally, Pharrell Williams' "Happy" was by far the most popular song in the US, but it was Travis Kelce's future fianće, Taylor Swift, who released the album "1989", which eventually became the year's biggest-selling album.

The Undertaker's Wrestlemania streak came to an end at the hands of Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 31, which shocked the world. While that happened in April 2014, Jimmy Fallon took over hosting The Tonight Show in February, which has worked in his favor tremendously.

Dec 2, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; Mark Calaway also known as the Undertaker from WWE wrestling in attendance before the game between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma State Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The iPhone 6 was released by Apple, which filmed a very popular trend in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge that several people took part in throughout the year. Additionally, the average price of gas in the United States was $3.35 per gallon. As of 2024, it sits at $3.304.

The Rock' n' Roll Hall of Fame inducted the likes of Hall & Oats, Nirvana, Peter Gabriel, and Kiss into that year's class. And according to the BBC, 'heart emoji' and 'hashtag' were the two most popular words of the year.

KISS bassist Gene Simmons waves his top-knotted hair and stuck out his famous tongue, a lot, at his fans packing Municipal Auditorium Jan. 30, 1983 in Nashville. | Billy Easley / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Barack Obama was serving his second term as President of the United States, and Queen Elizabeth II was the reigning British Monarch.

Derek Jeter put a bow on his MLB career with the New York Yankees, as he headlined a year of several professional athletes who hung up the cleats, such as Champ Bailey, Chauncey Billups, Nick Collins, Chris Snee, and Brian Waters, most known for his time playing for the Chiefs.

Sep 25, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter (2) celebrates hitting a walk-off single against the Baltimore Orioles during the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Perlman/NJ Advance Media for NJ.com via Imagn Images | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com-Imagn Images

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