The downfall was being predicted for quite some time. But the 2025 NFL season is when it might finally come to fruition. After a ridiculous stretch of dominance under Patrick Mahomes, it seems like we are nearing the end of the line for the Kansas City Chiefs to have a stranglehold over the conference.
Facing a virtual do-or-die game against the Denver Broncos, the game plan fell short of expectations. Eventually, it paved the way for the home team to take a 19-16 victory, thanks to a walk-off field goal. It widened the gap between the two sides and made the race to the playoffs all the more difficult.
Chiefs Playoff Hopes Running on Fumes
According to PFSN’s Playoff Predictor, which takes into account not only the current record and division but also the remaining strength of schedule to calculate its odds, the Chiefs have just a 37% chance of making the playoffs.
To put it in perspective, before the game against the Broncos, the Chiefs had a 59.6% chance of making the playoffs. Despite the Los Angeles Chargers losing a critical game to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the magnitude of the loss was that much more pronounced for Kansas City.
They sit at 5-5 after Week 11, and haven’t been able to put together consistent play all season long. Coming out of the bye, this should have been the perfect opportunity for them to establish their dominance once again.
However, an underwhelming showing throughout the night paved the way for Denver to remain in control of the game. In a truly shocking development, Bo Nix ended up playing a better game than Mahomes, which ultimately decided the contest.
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He ended the night with 295 passing yards while completing 24 passes on 37 attempts. On the other hand, the three-time Super Bowl champion had 276 passing yards as he completed 29 of his 45 passing attempts.
However, he also had a passing touchdown to the tally, which was underscored by a critical interception in the end zone, which flipped the entire game on its head. The Broncos’ defense, which ranked first on PFSN’s Defense Impact and had a pass rush producing at rates not seen since the 1980s Chicago Bears, once again left its mark on the game.
As it held Kansas City to just 19 points, they registered three sacks on Mahomes for the loss of 27 yards, while also tallying eight quarterback hits on the night. On paper, the possibility isn’t completely ruled out for the Chiefs to become a playoff team in the AFC.
However, so far this year, they haven’t functioned like one. And if they couldn’t get it done coming off a bye in a critical spot against Denver, it is hard to find reasons other than blind optimism to believe that the story could be different moving forward.
