In the 1996 post-season, the 13-3 Chiefs hosted the wild card Indianapolis Colts in a cold, damp night game at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City lost the game 10-7 against the underdog Colts after kicker Lin Elliot missed three field goal attempts.

Following a 1998 season full of injuries to starting quarterback Elvis Grbac, backup quarterback Rich Gannon took the reins of the Chiefs' offense and led the team to the pleayoffs. Head coach Marty Schottenheimer controversially chose Grbac to start the playoff game against the Denver Broncos despite Gannon playing in the previous game. The choice to play Grbac over Gannon still remains controversial in the minds of fans to this day, as Grbac's production in the game was lacking.