The Kansas City Chiefs are in unfamiliar territory - and not in a good way. After a 20-10 loss to the Houston Texans, the defending Super Bowl champs find themselves sitting at 6-7, their playoff hopes hanging by a thread with just four games left in the regular season.
It’s a stark shift for a team that, just over a month ago, looked poised to make another deep postseason run. But now, the Chiefs have dropped four of their last five, and the margin for error is razor-thin. The loss to Houston wasn’t just another mark in the “L” column - it was a gut punch that exposed some of the cracks in a team that’s been the gold standard in the AFC for the better part of the last five years.
On the latest episode of his New Heights podcast, tight end Travis Kelce didn’t sugarcoat the situation. “It’s a tough reality,” he admitted.
And he’s not wrong. The Chiefs are staring down a brutal climb just to get into the dance.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes echoed that sentiment later in the week, acknowledging that this is uncharted territory for him and many of the team’s core leaders. “We’re in unprecedented territory, someplace that we haven’t been since I’ve been here,” Mahomes said.
“I think you lean on the guys that have battled through adversity and came out better on the other side. That’s [Chris Jones], Trav [Kelce], all of these guys that have won championships.
It hasn’t always been pretty, but it’ll really test us to see what type of character we are.”
That’s the kind of leadership you expect from Mahomes - calm, accountable, and focused. But even he knows that words only go so far.
The Chiefs need wins. And fast.
The loss to Houston was especially frustrating because of how it unfolded. With the game tied 10-10 in the fourth quarter and the Chiefs facing a 4th-and-1 from their own 31-yard line, head coach Andy Reid made the bold call to go for it.
It was a gamble meant to jolt the offense and maybe light a spark in a team that’s been stuck in neutral. But the move backfired, and the Texans capitalized.
That moment felt like a microcosm of the Chiefs’ season - risky decisions, missed opportunities, and a team still searching for its rhythm.
Now, Kansas City finds itself chasing teams like the 6-7 Ravens, 8-5 Colts, and 8-5 Texans for one of the AFC’s final wild-card spots. The road ahead is steep, and Mahomes knows it. But don’t expect him to start scoreboard watching or calculating playoff odds.
“I always want to win, so it’s not like I have to draw too far [for motivation],” Mahomes said. “But when I look at it now, I don’t know what the percentages are, but I know they’re not high.
And I think it’d be special if we get to the playoffs and can make a run. So why not give ourselves a chance to do that?
And we have to start by winning a football game, so that’s what we’ll start at.”
It’s a simple message, but a powerful one: Start with one win. That journey begins this Sunday at Arrowhead against the 9-4 Los Angeles Chargers. As of Thursday morning, the Chiefs are 5.5-point favorites - a nod to the talent that’s still on this roster, even if the results haven’t matched the expectations.
This is a defining moment for Kansas City. The dynasty talk has quieted, the margin for error is gone, and the league isn’t intimidated anymore. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Mahomes, Kelce, and this core group, it’s that they don’t back down from adversity - they meet it head-on.
Now it’s time to see if they’ve got one more run in them.