The Kansas City Chiefs are staring down a reality few would’ve predicted when the season kicked off: a real chance of missing the playoffs. With Sunday’s 20-10 loss to the Houston Texans, the Chiefs dropped to 6-7 on the year - marking their second straight defeat and raising serious questions about whether Patrick Mahomes and company can salvage this season.
This would be uncharted territory for Mahomes. Since taking over as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback in 2018, Kansas City has been a postseason fixture - hosting AFC Championship Games, hoisting Lombardi Trophies, and redefining offensive football along the way. But now, with just four games left in the regular season, the defending Super Bowl champs are on the outside looking in.
And that shift in the AFC landscape isn’t going unnoticed.
Former NFL MVP Cam Newton weighed in on ESPN’s First Take, pointing out that with Mahomes potentially out of the playoff picture, the road to the Super Bowl might finally be clear for Buffalo’s Josh Allen.
“Josh Allen’s kryptonite might not have an opportunity to impact him,” Newton said, referencing Allen’s playoff struggles against Mahomes and the Chiefs. “And that’s been Patrick Mahomes.”
It’s a fair point. Allen has faced Kansas City four times in the postseason - and he’s come up short every time.
The Bills’ offense has often looked the part, but when it’s mattered most, Mahomes has found a way to outduel him. If the Chiefs don’t make it to January, that psychological hurdle might be off the table.
Newton didn’t stop there. He backed Allen to beat any AFC opponent - as long as he doesn’t have to go through Arrowhead.
“If he has to go to Denver, if he has to go to any other team outside of Arrowhead,” Newton said, “I’m putting my money on Josh Allen because he's the game-changer we all know he can be.”
Allen’s Bills are currently sitting at 9-4, second in the AFC East behind the 11-2 New England Patriots. But despite trailing in the division, Buffalo controls its own playoff fate - and they’re playing like a team that knows it. With Allen healthy and the defense rounding into form, the Bills are looking more and more like a legitimate threat to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs have no margin for error. Their next test comes in Week 15 against the 9-5 Los Angeles Chargers - a divisional showdown that could make or break their season.
That game kicks off Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Arrowhead Stadium, and Kansas City will need more than just home-field advantage to turn things around.
Even if the Chiefs run the table and win their final four games, they’ll still need help from around the league to sneak into the playoffs. That’s a far cry from the dominant position they’ve held in recent years - and a stark reminder of how quickly things can change in the NFL.
The Chargers, fresh off an overtime win against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, are surging at the right time. They’ve got their eyes on the AFC West crown, and they’ll be looking to keep that momentum going with a statement win in Kansas City.
For Mahomes and the Chiefs, it’s gut-check time. The margin for error is gone.
The playoff math is complicated. But the mission is simple: win - and hope it’s enough.