The bosses seem completely dead in the water – here’s why they could still go full Undertaker

The Kansas City Chiefs have been a playoff team in every season since 2015. They have been the most consistent and dominant team in the league, winning the Super Bowl three times and twice more.

The 2025 season is a completely different story. After Monday night’s Week 14 loss to the Houston Texans, they sit in third place in the AFC West at 6-7. They are out of the playoff structure. They won’t catch the first-place Denver Broncos, who are 11-2. The Broncos have won 10 games in a row, and first place is completely out of the question for head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The three AFC teams sitting in the Wild Card spots with four games left in the regular season are the Los Angeles Chargers (9-4), Buffalo Bills (9-4) and Texans (8-5).

The Indianapolis Colts (8-5) fell out of playoff position after losing three straight games and losing starting QB Daniel Jones to an Achilles injury. They made a seemingly desperate move by signing 44-year-old Philip Rivers out of retirement to try and save their season. Rivers has not played since ending his 17-year career in 2020. Rivers played 16 seasons with the Chargers before ending his career with the Colts.

The Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins have the same 6-7 record as the Chiefs. The Ravens are ahead the Chiefs in the standings as their 4-5 record against AFC opponents is better than Kansas City.

Bosses in a big hole, but not dead

There is a scenario that would allow the Chiefs to potentially return to the playoffs. Being three games behind the Chargers, the Chiefs would have to go 4-0, while the Chargers would have to go 1-3 for Kansas City to have a chance.

If they are Heads tied with the Chargers, a tiebreaker would be a slim possibility for Kansas City. The Chiefs have games left with the Chargers, Titans, Broncos and Raiders. Wins in each would give them a 10-6 record and a 7-5 conference mark.

If the Chargers were to win one of their remaining games — they would face the Chiefs, Cowboys, Texans and Broncos — it would also give them a 10-6 record. They would split the season series with the Chiefs and have the same division record as Kansas City if the Chargers lost to the Broncos in the regular season finale.

However, the Chargers are a combined 5-3 against the opposition, while the Chiefs are 3-4. The Chargers could drop to 5-5 in that category with losses to the Chiefs and Broncos, while the Chiefs would improve to 6-4 if they could beat the Chargers, Broncos and Raiders.

The scenario does not seem realistic for several reasons. The Chiefs would have to beat the Chargers in Week 14 after losing 4 of their last 5 games and then follow up with a series win over the Broncos in Week 16. The idea that the Chiefs will sweep the Chargers and Broncos is a long shot at best.

Passing the Texans would require the Chiefs to go 4-0, while Houston goes 1-3. The Texans hold a two-game lead over the Chiefs, but also hold the tiebreaker after beating the Chiefs back-to-back.

Houston’s closing schedule is against the Cardinals, Raiders, Chargers and Colts, so the likelihood of the Texans going 1-3 is high.

Bosses no longer have explosive works

During the early years of their run, the Chiefs had the most explosive offense in the NFL. This has not been the case in recent years. The Chiefs rank 11th in scoring with 24.2 points and average 367.1 yards per game. Defensively, they allow 19.5 points per game7th place in the league.

Both numbers are decent, but no longer championship-level. Mahomes is no longer putting prolific numbers on the board. He completed 299 of 474 passes for 3,398 yards with 22 TDs and 10 interceptions. He also ran for 407 yards and 4 touchdowns, but has had some big hits throughout his career and may be running out of fantastic finishes.

Travis Kelce is his leading receiver with 60-727-5. He’s still a capable pass catcher and playmaker, but the explosive nature of the Chiefs’ offense is no longer a reality.

The chances of the Chiefs making the playoffs aren’t great, but the possibility still exists.