The 1969 AFL playoffs was the postseason of the American Football League for its tenth and final season in 1969. For the first time, the ten-team league scheduled a four-team postseason, consisting of the top two teams from the two divisions. The division champions hosted the second place teams from the other division; both Western division teams won and advanced to the league championship game, with the winner advancing to play the NFL champion in Super Bowl IV in New Orleans on January 18, 1970.

Previously, the only scheduled postseason contest was the AFL Championship Game, between the two division winners, with the host site alternating between the divisions. Ties for a division title were resolved with an unscheduled tiebreaker playoff game (1963: East, 1968: West), while the other division's winner was idle.

Eastern runner-up Houston (6–6–2) had the league's fifth-best record; San Diego (8–6) was fourth, but finished third in the West and did not qualify for the postseason. Oakland (12–1–1) and Kansas City (11–3), both from Western division, had the best records and both advanced to the AFL title game.

The opening round of the AFL postseason was played December 20–21, the final week of the regular season for the NFL; they played the first round of their postseason the following weekend (December 27–28), while the AFL was idle. Both league championship games were held on January 4; Super Bowl IV was on January 11.

at Shea Stadium, Queens, New York City

Kansas City, favored by three points, had defeated the Jets 34–16 five weeks earlier on the same field. They knocked off the defending Super Bowl champions in dominating form, holding them to just 234 yards and forcing four turnovers.

The heavy winds at Shea Stadium wreaked havoc on the kicking of Chiefs kicker Jan Stenerud, who missed three field goals throughout the game, including an early 47-yard attempt in the first quarter. New York quarterback Joe Namath then completed 4/4 passes on the way to a 27-yard Jim Turner field goal that put the home team in front, 3–0. Kansas City responded with Len Dawson's completions to Otis Taylor, Fred Arbanas, and Wendell Hayes for gains of 13, 12, and 17 yards moving the team into position for a 23-yard Stenerud field goal to tie the game. This was the only score of the second quarter, as neither team had much success moving the ball for the rest of the half. Stenerud's missed 44-yard field goal attempt was close as either team came to changing the scoreboard.

Defense continued to dominate the game in the second half, starting with Namath's interception to defensive back Emmitt Thomas. However, this resulted in another missed field goal try from Stenerud, a 44-yard attempt. The next time New York got the ball, Namath was intercepted again, this time by Jim Marsalis. Kansas City was forced to punt, but a running into the punter penalty against New York allowed them to keep possession. Dawson then threw a 27-yard completion to Arbanas that set up Stenerud's 25-yard field goal, giving the Chiefs a 6–3 lead.