Chris Jones learned of the playoff elimination live at the podium

The The Kansas City Chiefs’ interesting run of postseason success has come to an end on Sunday, as a 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers officially eliminated the team from playoff contention. For the first time since 2014, Kansas City will miss the postseason, ending a 10-year streak of consecutive playoff appearances — the second-longest in NFL history. Along with this, a nine-year streak of AFC West titles and a seven-year streak of appearances in the AFC Championship Game with Patrick Mahomes as the starting quarterback ended.

The game itself was a microcosm of the challenges the Chiefs faced on the field in 2025. Kansas City led 13-3 before giving up the final 13 points to Los Angeles. Mahomes, who completed 16 of 28 passes for 189 yards with one interception and no touchdowns, left the game late after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee. It will be the first time in Mahomes’ career as a starter that he will miss the playoffs and the first time he will not play in the AFC Championship Game. Backup quarterback Gardner Minshev entered the final drive, but threw an interceptionconfirming the failure and end of the Chiefs’ playoff hopes.

The loss, along with wins by the Buffalo Bills over the New England Patriots, the Jacksonville Jaguars over the New York Jets and the Houston Texans over the Arizona Cardinals, mathematically sealed Kansas City’s fate.

The news was especially shocking for the defensive tackle Chris Jones, which revealed the elimination of the team during the postgame press conference.

Initially unaware of his official playoff status, Jones expressed hope, saying, “We still have a fighting chance,” but hesitated mid-sentence, raising the tension in the room, prompting him to ask:

“Are we out of the playoffs?” The answer was an unmistakable yes, prompting a solemn “Okay” response from Jones.

#Chiefs DT Chris Jones learned in his postgame press conference that KC was eliminated from the playoffs:

“We still have a fighting chance. Are we out of the playoffs? Are we? Ok…”

(🎥 @KVCH12)pic.twitter.com/VBiKfZE1PK https://t.co/Lacm5F7aae

— Ari Meirov (@MiSportsUpdate) December 15, 2025

This season has been full of bumps in the road for the Chiefs. They couldn’t come through in clutch situations, losing 7 out of 8 games by one score after going undefeated in the same matches the previous season. Injuries and poor play up front and at receiver made things worse, and for the first time since 2015, Kansas City missed out on the AFC West.

For players like Mahomes, Jones, three-time Pro Bowl center Creed Humphrey, running back Nick Bolton and defensive end George Karlaftis, the postseason absence heralds a historic first in their careers. Over the last decade, the Chiefs have been a fixture in January, reaching three straight Super Bowls and winning three championships.

Entering Week 15, the Chiefs held a 6-7 record. After Sunday’s loss, they fell to 6-8 with three games remaining on the schedule against the Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders. With no playoffs on the line, the finals will be all about pride and draft placement.