Chiefs’ Frustrations Boil Over in 26-9 Loss to Titans as Season Spirals
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Kansas City Chiefs’ sideline turned into a scene of raw emotion on Sunday, and right guard Trey Smith was at the center of it. After a disastrous safety that symbolized the unraveling of the Chiefs’ afternoon - and maybe their season - Smith ripped off his helmet and spun around to confront rookie left tackle Esa Pole.
“Hey!” he shouted, his voice cutting through the air before CBS cameras locked in. Then came the outburst: “Wake the f- up!”
It was a moment that captured more than just a single play gone wrong. It reflected the frustration of a team that’s seen its season slip away, and a veteran leader demanding more from a young teammate in a game that quickly turned one-sided.
The Chiefs fell 26-9 to the Titans, a team that entered the day with just two wins. But it wasn’t just the scoreboard that stung - it was the self-inflicted wounds, the missed assignments, and the sense that the standard Kansas City has built over the last decade is slipping.
The safety that set off Smith came in the second quarter, when Pole failed to get a hand on Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Simmons burst through untouched and swallowed up running back Kareem Hunt in the end zone.
Just one play earlier, Pole had committed a false start that moved the Chiefs back. The sequence gave Tennessee its first lead at 2-0 and set the tone for a game that never turned back in Kansas City’s favor.
Smith wasn’t alone in his frustration. Center Creed Humphrey also had words for Pole on the sideline, while tight end Travis Kelce confronted the rookie on the field immediately after the play, pointing emphatically at the turf as he laid into him.
Pole, making just his second NFL start - and doing so as the backup to the backup at left tackle - was thrown into the fire. But in the eyes of his teammates, that didn’t excuse the breakdown.
“We’ve played a lot of ball here,” Humphrey said after the game. “So it’s our job to be leaders.”
And leadership was needed more than ever on Sunday. The Chiefs were already eliminated from playoff contention, and for the first time in years, they were playing without their franchise quarterback. Patrick Mahomes, the heartbeat of this team, was sidelined after suffering a season-ending knee injury last week.
So the questions loomed: Would the Chiefs still bring the fight? Would they show pride, even with nothing tangible left to play for?
The answer was complicated. The effort was there - especially from defensive leaders like Chris Jones and Nick Bolton, who continued to play with intensity and physicality in a game they could’ve easily coasted through.
But the execution? That was another story.
Kansas City committed 10 penalties, struggled on special teams, and never found rhythm in the run game. It was a familiar script for this 2025 Chiefs team - one that’s now lost four straight and dropped to 6-9 on the year.
“Not good enough,” Humphrey said, summing it up as plainly as possible.
The loss may help the Chiefs in the long run - their draft position continues to improve, with a growing chance at a top-10 pick in April. But that’s not a conversation for the locker room.
The players and coaches weren’t tanking. They were trying to win.
Trey Smith, in particular, made that clear. The Pro Bowl guard had missed the last three weeks with an ankle injury but worked his way back to suit up for this game - even with no postseason implications. For him, it was about more than the standings.
“It’s my job,” Smith said.
It was also personal. Smith grew up in Tennessee and starred at the University of Tennessee.
Sunday’s game in Nashville was a homecoming, a chance to play in front of family and friends. And like many of his teammates, he took the field playing for pride.
But pride alone couldn’t carry the Chiefs in this one - not against a Titans team that came in 2-12 and still managed to dominate the line of scrimmage.
The Chiefs’ offense took another hit early when backup quarterback Gardner Minshew, starting in place of Mahomes, went down with a non-contact knee injury during the team’s opening drive. He tried to gut it out for a few more series but was eventually pulled. There’s concern he may have suffered a torn ACL - which would make it two quarterbacks lost to season-ending knee injuries in as many weeks.
Head coach Andy Reid acknowledged the team was “short in a few spots” heading into the game. The injury list was long: Mahomes, receivers Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton, offensive tackles Josh Simmons and Jawaan Taylor, linebacker Leo Chenal, and All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie were all sidelined.
“We’re in a very unfortunate situation, where sometimes, you can’t control it. And it’s OK,” Chris Jones said.
“You can finish strong. You can worry about the things you can control, which is your attitude and your effort.”
The Chiefs still have two games left - including a Christmas night matchup at Arrowhead against the Denver Broncos - before what promises to be a long and reflective offseason.
At 6-9, the Chiefs are now guaranteed a losing record. It’s the first for Reid since his final season with the Eagles in 2012 - and his first in 13 years as Kansas City’s head coach.
“We can learn from it, and need to do that moving forward,” Reid said. “Sometimes a good kick in the tail helps you there - coaches and players.”
There’s no sugarcoating it: this season has been a gut punch. Injuries, inconsistency, and uncharacteristic mistakes have defined a team that’s grown accustomed to chasing championships. But with two games left, the Chiefs still have a chance to show who they are - even if the playoffs are out of reach.
And for veterans like Smith, Humphrey, and Kelce, that still matters.