Chiefs Face Unfamiliar Territory: No Playoffs, No Mahomes - But No Quit
For the first time since Patrick Mahomes took over under center, the Kansas City Chiefs are staring down a December with no postseason in sight. That’s not just surprising - it’s uncharted territory. The reigning AFC powerhouse has been a playoff fixture for years, but now, with three games left and no ticket to the dance, the Chiefs are in an unfamiliar position: playing for pride, development, and the future.
And if that wasn’t enough of a gut punch, the news got worse. Mahomes’ ACL injury will sideline him well into the 2026 season, casting a long shadow over what's ahead. For a team that’s built its identity around No. 15’s brilliance, that’s a seismic shift.
But don’t expect Andy Reid to let this season fizzle out.
“As we go here, we're finding a lot out about some of the young guys who are getting opportunities to play,” Reid said this week. “We're going to finish this season strong and with effort, and then you get into the offseason. But I'm always optimistic about going forward."
That’s vintage Reid - forward-looking, focused on development, and refusing to let adversity define the moment. And he’s not wrong.
These final three games may not carry playoff weight, but they’re far from meaningless. They’re a proving ground for the next wave of Chiefs talent, a window into what the post-Mahomes (or at least Mahomes-lite) era might look like, even if temporarily.
A Reset Is Coming - And Reid Knows It
With Mahomes out for a significant chunk of 2026 and the future of veterans like Travis Kelce very much in question, Kansas City is heading into a transitional phase - whether they’re ready or not. Reid didn’t shy away from that reality.
“Brett Veach does a heck of a job with bringing players in, as you can see now by the guys that are in there playing," Reid said. "It’s our responsibility to clean things up on the coaching side of it, and the players to take responsibility on their end and finish these three games. Then whoever's still here after to retool it.”
Translation: The Chiefs know change is coming. The core that delivered multiple AFC titles and a pair of Lombardis is aging, and with Mahomes shelved, the team will need to find new ways to compete - and fast.
There’s no sugarcoating it. The 2025 season has been a disappointment by Kansas City’s lofty standards.
But Reid’s comments make it clear: this team isn’t mailing it in. The final stretch will be about accountability, evaluation, and setting the tone for what comes next.
The Mahomes Factor - and the Challenge Ahead
Planning for a season without Mahomes is like preparing a symphony without its conductor. His presence, both on and off the field, is the heartbeat of this franchise. So the looming question is: how do you build a competitive roster when your most important piece might not be back until midseason?
That’s the puzzle facing Reid, Veach, and the entire Chiefs front office. Do they lean into a youth movement?
Do they make a splash in free agency? Do they try to bridge the gap with a stopgap quarterback and hope the defense can carry the load?
We don’t have those answers yet. But what we do know is that the Chiefs aren’t going to sit back and let the league pass them by.
One Last Push
So here we are - three games to go, no playoffs, and a long offseason ahead. But don’t mistake these next few weeks as throwaways. For young players fighting for roster spots, for coaches trying to lay the groundwork for 2026, and for a franchise that’s built its identity on resilience, there’s still a lot on the line.
Reid wants to finish strong. And if history tells us anything, it’s that you don’t count out the Chiefs - even when the odds are stacked against them.
This might be a low point in the Mahomes era, but it’s also a turning point. What Kansas City does next will shape the next chapter of a franchise that’s been one of the NFL’s gold standards. And if Reid has his way, that chapter starts now.