The Kansas City Chiefs are in a position I didn’t expect in the Patrick Mahomes era. After their loss yesterday to the Denver Broncos, they find themselves in third place in the AFC West. It is interesting with the cache of talent on this team. They are in grave peril of missing the playoffs. Is their season over, or is there still a season to be saved?
Kansas City Chiefs Fall 22-19 in Mile High
Yesterday’s loss was a game the Kansas City Chiefs have won the majority of times in the Mahomes era. Coming off a bye week and a tough loss to the Buffalo Bills, this game could have been their season. Going on the road against your division rival should have been on a platter to pick up a big win and alleviate any question marks surrounding this team.
They lost 22-19 to a team with an excellent record, but that has struggled in stretches during its 2025 campaign. This game was tied 6-6 at halftime, with the Chiefs getting the ball to begin the second half. I, like many others, figured this would be the moment they string together a drive, take the lead, & never look back. What happened? KC worked its way down to the 21-yard line, and Mahomes threw an interception. That play brought the crowd to their feet and rejuvenated the stadium.
After the pick, both teams would trade touchdown drives. Then Denver would take a 16-13 lead. It appeared to turn to the Chiefs’ favor as Mahomes connected with Travis Kelce for a 21-yard touchdown to put them ahead 19-16. After a missed extra point with 10:04 to go. Bo Nix would drive the Broncos to a game-tying 54-yard field goal with 4:10 left in the game.
Here is where I want to put a microscope on the game. Tie game, and the Chiefs are getting the ball. I just knew “When in doubt, you have 15 in Red, and everything will be okay.” But to my surprise, KC’s drive would go as follows—incompletion, incompletion, then an 11-yard sack where the defensive back came in untouched. The Chiefs had multiple chances to get a defensive stop but couldn’t. Giving up 20 yards on 3rd & 15 is unacceptable. Denver would go on to kick a walk-off game-winning field goal.
Will the Chiefs Miss the Postseason?
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Will Mahomes and the Chiefs miss the playoffs? Their remaining schedule goes as follows: hosting the Colts, @ the Cowboys, hosting the Texans, hosting the Chargers, @ the Titans, hosting the Broncos, and then ends the season @ the Raiders. In theory, there are 2-3 “easy” wins, but nothing is etched in stone with this organization.
If the season ends today, they are two games out of the postseason. The issue is that all the teams they are chasing have the tiebreakers over them. KC is behind the seventh-seed Jags, who have the tiebreaker, the sixth-seed Chargers, who currently have the tiebreaker, and the fifth-seed Bills, who also have the tiebreaker. This is one of the biggest uphill battles this team and the organization will face in its current iteration.
To get back to the question at hand, the Kansas City Chiefs will miss the postseason for the first time in Mahomes’ career. You can’t continuously pull rabbits out of hats and make chicken salad out of chicken, year in and year out. Even the New England Patriots in their prime had down years.
Final Thoughts
Their season didn’t get off to the best start, as they lost their first two games. However, they would win five of their next six games, giving this team a breath of confidence and a positive outlook at 5-3. Now at 5-5, their game next week against the Colts is a must-win. How do you think the Chiefs’ season ends? Will they miss the postseason, or do they find a way to squeak into the dance?
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