With five games left in the 2025 regular season, the Kansas City Chiefs find themselves in a spot that feels almost surreal: on the outside looking in. At 6-6 after a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Cowboys, Kansas City is staring down the very real possibility of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
According to NFL.com, their postseason odds have dipped to just 33 percent. For a team that’s played in the last three Super Bowls-and has made the AFC Championship Game every year since Patrick Mahomes became the starter-that’s not just surprising.
It’s historic.
So, what’s the plan from here? Head coach Andy Reid offered a colorful, if unconventional, answer during his weekly radio appearance on Sports Radio 810 WHB: “We’re gonna go after you every game.
That’s how we roll. We're gonna try to tickle your tonsils on every play and every game.
That’s the attitude we’re coming in with and then you let the chips fall where they may.”
Translation: the Chiefs are going full throttle. No holding back, no playing it safe. It’s an all-out push to salvage a season that’s teetering on the edge.
But let’s be clear-this isn’t just about attitude. The Chiefs have dropped three of their last four games, and the struggles haven’t been limited to one side of the ball.
Mahomes and the offense have been out of sync at key moments, missing on big-play opportunities that used to feel automatic. Whether it’s timing, execution, or simply a lack of rhythm, the spark that defined this offense in recent years hasn’t been there consistently.
Now, the margin for error is razor thin.
The stretch run begins this week with a crucial home matchup against the 7-5 Texans, another team fighting to stay in the playoff mix. After that, Kansas City’s schedule doesn’t get any easier. They’ll face the Chargers, Raiders, Bengals, and then close out the regular season with a potentially season-defining game against the Broncos-who, as of now, are in the hunt for the AFC’s top seed.
The good news? Three of those final five games are at Arrowhead Stadium, where the Chiefs have historically had a strong home-field advantage. But even that won’t mean much if the offense can’t find its groove and the defense doesn’t hold up against some of the AFC’s more dynamic attacks.
This is uncharted territory for Mahomes and Reid. For seven seasons, the Chiefs have been the standard in the AFC-racking up wins, hosting championship games, and turning January football into a Kansas City tradition. Now, they’re fighting to keep that tradition alive.
If they can string together a late-season surge, the Chiefs could still be a dangerous team come playoff time. But if the inconsistency continues, we might see something we haven’t in nearly a decade: a postseason without Patrick Mahomes.
Andy Reid describes his level of confidence in the team right now.
— Sports Radio 810 WHB (@SportsRadio810) December 1, 2025
He told @mattderrick, "We're gonna try to tickle your tonsils on every play, every game, that's the attitude we're coming in with." pic.twitter.com/uo82gSeKic
And for the rest of the AFC contenders? That might be the biggest win of all.