Things are getting dicey quickly in Kansas City.
After a Thanksgiving loss to the Cowboys dropped them to 6-6, the Chiefs are now sitting in a tough spot with their playoff chances dwindling.
Thursday’s 31-28 setback against the Cowboys has Chiefs ninth in the AFC standings, sitting 1 1/2 games overall and two games in the loss column back of the Bills, Jaguars, and Chargers, who are all 7-4.
Further hurting the Chiefs, who have made three straight Super Bowls, is that all three of the aforementioned teams beat them earlier this season.
“At the end of the day, you’ve just got to win every game now — and hope that’s enough,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said after the loss with the reality beginning to seep through that the Chiefs may indeed miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2014 season.
The road to the playoffs seems even more daunting since injuries are all of a sudden starting to pile up for a Chiefs team that needs all hands on deck for the stretch run.
Rookie eft tackle Josh Simmons, who was supposed to help stabilize an iffy offensive line, dislocated and fractured his wrist against the Cowboys and is likely heading to IR, per NFL Network.
Guard Trey Smith also missed the game with an ankle injury, while tackle Jawaan Taylor also exited with an arm injury.
The offensive line is now missing multiple starters, including both tackles, which will severely limit Mahomes’ ability to play superhero and shoulder the load for the Chiefs.
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If the Chiefs want to take a shot at the playoffs, they will need to win out or come close, as the AFC is stacked with elite teams and 10 wins might not even be enough to get in.
Kansas City made the playoffs in all eight of Mahomes’ seasons as the starter entering the 2025 campaign.
“We’re going to play a lot of good football teams coming up,” Mahomes added. “If we’re going to make the playoffs, we’re going to have to win them all.”
The Chiefs follow this week’s tough loss with another incredibly challenging home game against the Texans, who feature the league’s top pass rush while Kansas City’s offensive line is at its weakest.
Houston, which visits the Colts this weekend, is the team directly in front of the Chiefs in the AFC standings and also on the outside looking in.
Kansas City then faces the Chargers (home), Titans, Broncos (home) and Raiders, as everyone in the building is likely hitting the panic button.
