Not even Patrick Mahomes can save these Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer and generational talent that played a major role in establishing the Kansas City Chiefs’ dynasty. And yet, he seems powerless to stop his team from what increasingly looks like an inevitable fate: with four games left to be played, the 6-7 Chiefs are on the verge of playoff elimination.

Sunday night’s 20-10 loss to the visiting Houston Texans was not the final nail in the coffin yet, but things are looking bleak. We already know Kansas City’s streak of AFC West titles will end at nine, while the chances of a postseason push are low as well.

According to The Athletic, Mahomes and company have only a 16% chance of qualifying as one of the seven best teams in the AFC. For comparison, nine other teams have better odds that the three-time reigning AFC champions.

Even if they win out, their chances of making it into the tournament are only calculated at 53%. It seems that not even Mahomes can save them, and Sunday’s game made that painfully clear.

Going against arguably the best defense in football, he completed only 14 of 33 passes for 160 yards with zero touchdowns and three interceptions. While he did gain a team-high 59 yards on seven runs for a solid average of 8.4 yards per carry, he posted an abysmal EPA per play of -0.44 with a completion percentage 14.9% below expectation. No matter the angle, his game on Sunday was, statistically, the worst of his career.

It was par the course for the 30-year-old this season.

So far in 2025, Mahomes has completed 63.1% of his passes — lowest in his career — while throwing 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Since the calendar flipped to November, his numbers have been even less impressive: in five games since, he stands at 57.3% completion rate with five touchdowns and six interceptions. The Chiefs are 1-4 over that span, with the only win an overtime defeat of a Colts team in free fall.

Obviously, football is a complex game and not all the blame for Kansas City’s issues can be pinned on its QB. Sunday was no exception.

Left tackle Wanya Morris, who under ideal circumstances would be the third option at the position, suffered a game-ending injury knee injury on the very first snap of the night. The ground game was carried by quarterback scrambles, averaging only 3.0 yards per attempt between the three backs employed by the team. Ol’ reliable Travis Kelce was among several receiving options who failed to make a positive impact as well.

Add it all up, and you get a team in offensive shambles with a quarterback unable to make up for the various shortcomings. Against a world-class defense like Houston’s the results speak for themselves.

So, where do the Chiefs go from here?

They will take on the 8-4 Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium next Sunday, in a do-or-die game: if Kansas City loses, the playoff dream is effectively over. If they survive that challenge, it is on to matchups with the Titans, Broncos and Raiders — not the most daunting schedule, but Denver is a definitive challenge even at home.

“We know the chances are getting lower and lower, but I know the guys on this team are going to give everything they have, every opportunity we get,” Mahomes said on Sunday.

“We’re not winning games, but that mindset the guys have in this locker room, in the games we’re not winning, you can never question the fight of this team. Obviously, we’re not executing at the right moments and we’re not making those plays, but at the end of the day you can never question that, and I think you’ll see that these last four weeks.”

At the end of the day, however, results speak the clearest language. And those have largely been lacking in Kansas City this season.

As a consequence, it would take a major turnaround for the Chiefs to get back into the playoff picture. Even for Mahomes, who has made a career out of pulling himself and his team out of unfavorable situations, that appears to be too big of a challenge.