Chiefs Show Signs of Life - But Is It Too Late for a Response?
For the first time in nearly a decade, the Kansas City Chiefs took the practice field in December as a .500 football team. That’s not a stat anyone in that building is proud of.
But on Wednesday, something felt different - and not just because it had been nearly a week since their last game. There was a noticeable edge, a tempo, a sense of urgency that’s been missing for most of the season.
Cornerback Trent McDuffie picked up on it right away. The scout team - often overlooked, usually just doing its job to simulate the opponent - was flying through drills.
No helmets, no pads, just speed. And that speed set the tone.
“I mean, things were on point,” McDuffie said. “The tempo was a little up.
The timing of everything, it just felt right. It was a good day.”
Not just a good day - a standout one. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo called it the best no-helmet practice in seven years.
That’s not coach-speak. That’s a veteran staffer recognizing a team that finally looked like it understood where it stands.
And where do the Chiefs stand? At 6-6, outside the AFC playoff picture, with five games to go and zero margin for error.
This is unfamiliar territory for the Mahomes-era Chiefs - at least on paper. But in reality, the pressure has been mounting all season.
A Familiar Problem, an Unfamiliar Outcome
The irony here is thick: the Chiefs are being asked to respond to adversity - something they’ve been historically great at - yet it’s the very thing they’ve struggled with all season.
Let’s rewind to last week. Fourth quarter.
Tight game. The Chiefs take a one-point lead over the Cowboys.
What happens next? They give up 171 yards of offense in the final 15 minutes.
That’s been the pattern. Kansas City has now blown three fourth-quarter leads and failed to come back in three more.
They’re 1-6 in one-score games.
That’s not just a stat. That’s a trend.
And it’s the opposite of what we’ve come to expect from a team that once made its living in the margins. The Mahomes-led Chiefs used to thrive in chaos.
Now, they’re getting swallowed by it.
“If you look at every game that we’ve lost this year,” Mahomes said this week, “we’ve been right in it up until the end. But we haven’t made those plays.”
That’s the difference. Not talent.
Not scheme. Execution - or the lack of it - when it matters most.
The Metrics Say They’re Close
Here’s where it gets even more frustrating: the numbers back up what the Chiefs are saying. They’re close. Really close.
According to FTN Fantasy data, Kansas City still gains more yards per offensive drive than any team in the league. They reach the red zone more frequently than anyone. They’re one of only five teams that rank in the top 10 in both points scored and points allowed.
The other four? All sitting atop their divisions.
The Chiefs? Watching the playoff picture from the outside.
It’s a paradox. When this team is good, it’s really good.
Their point differential is better than the 2024 version that went 15-2. It’s 12 times better than the 9-3 Bears.
They’ve blown teams out this season - convincingly. But when games get tight, something unravels.
Pressure Used to Be Their Playground
This is where the mental game comes in. Pressure used to be Kansas City’s comfort zone. Mahomes has a winning record in games where he trailed by double digits - a stat that once defined the Chiefs’ dominance.
But this year? Pressure has flipped on them.
Instead of rising to the moment, they’ve folded under it. And now, the pressure is even heavier, because every missed opportunity has compounded into a five-week sprint that leaves no room for another slip.
That’s what makes this week’s practice feel so important. Because while it’s just one session - no helmets, no game clock - it showed something we haven’t seen enough of this season: a response.
That’s been the missing ingredient. Not talent.
Not coaching. Not even health.
Just that edge. That urgency.
That ability to flip the switch when the moment demands it.
The Road Ahead
The schedule won’t do them any favors. The red-hot Houston Texans are coming to town, and they won’t be intimidated by Arrowhead.
The Chiefs can’t afford another late-game letdown - not now. Not with the runway gone and the playoff race tightening.
This team still has the pieces. The defense has been solid.
The offense, despite its inconsistencies, still moves the ball as well as anyone. But the Chiefs' season will come down to whether they can reclaim the one thing that defined their dynasty-in-the-making: the ability to respond when the game - and the season - is on the line.
They showed it in practice this week. Now they have to show it when it counts.
Because close won’t cut it anymore.