Chiefs’ Season Crumbles: Mahomes Out, Kelce Reflects as Kansas City Faces Uncertain Future
The Kansas City Chiefs’ dynasty hit a wall on Sunday - and it hit hard.
With just three games left in the regular season, the Chiefs were officially eliminated from playoff contention following a loss to the Chargers. That alone would’ve been enough to sting.
But the real gut punch came in the final minutes, when Patrick Mahomes went down with a torn ACL while trying to make a play outside the pocket. Just like that, the face of the franchise - and arguably the face of the NFL - is looking at a long, grueling recovery ahead of next season.
It was the kind of day that echoes through a locker room. And for a team that’s spent the better part of the last decade redefining what sustained success looks like - seven straight AFC Championship appearances, three Super Bowl wins - this one felt like the closing chapter of something special.
"I could care less about his stupid podcast…No serious sports fan listens to that nonsense anyway" - Chris Russo on Travis and Jason Kelce’s New Heights pic.twitter.com/5qYPMscnjJ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 17, 2025
Travis Kelce, one of the pillars of that run, didn’t speak to reporters after the game. Instead, he offered a quick, “It’s not the time.
I’ll catch you guys during the week,” before heading out. That decision sparked some backlash from fans and media alike, especially given the magnitude of the moment - Mahomes injured, the season over, and legitimate questions swirling about the future of this once-dominant core.
But Kelce did eventually speak - just not from the podium in the locker room. He opened up on his podcast, New Heights, a few days later. And when he did, the emotion was raw, the message clear.
“We got three games left,” Kelce said. “The integrity of who you are as a professional, as a player - you gotta love this s---, man.
And Chiefs Kingdom, we’re gonna give you everything we got. There’s no question about that.”
That’s classic Kelce - passionate, defiant, and locked in, even when the stakes have changed. The playoffs are off the table, but the pride of this group, and the standard they’ve set, still matters.
He made that clear: “There’s only one way I do things, there’s only one way Coach Reid does things. If we’re gonna go out there and play some football, we’re gonna do it the right way and keep trying to get these things fixed and end on the highest note we can.”
Kelce also addressed the Mahomes injury, and you could hear the heartbreak in his voice.
“First things first, obviously, we lost our quarterback, man,” he said. “Mahomes, our guy, our brother, our fearless leader, our face of the franchise, to an ACL.
It’s never easy seeing your guys go down... On a freakish play, to see (Mahomes) go down like that, it f---ing...
It was almost like it wasn’t real. S--- just sucks, man.”
It’s the kind of reaction you’d expect from a teammate who’s been in the trenches with Mahomes for years. Kelce has caught passes from him in Super Bowls, celebrated with him in confetti showers, and shared the weight of expectations season after season. To see that partnership suddenly halted - not by a defense, but by an injury - clearly hit hard.
And now, the Chiefs are left in unfamiliar territory: playing out the stretch with no postseason on the horizon, no Mahomes under center, and a roster full of veterans who’ve only known life at the top. It’s a test of pride, leadership, and culture - all things that Andy Reid and this locker room have built their identity around.
There are still three games left - against the Titans, Broncos, and Raiders - and while the standings may not matter anymore, the effort still will. For Kelce, for Reid, and for a fan base that’s ridden this incredible wave of success, how the Chiefs finish this season could say a lot about what’s next.
Whether or not Kelce chooses to speak after those games remains to be seen. But one thing’s clear: the Chiefs aren’t going quietly.
Even in a season-ending loss, even with their quarterback sidelined, this team is still fighting to finish the right way. And that, in itself, tells you everything about the culture they’ve built in Kansas City.