The three-time defending AFC champions are on the brink.
After a 20-10 loss to the red-hot Houston Texans on Sunday night, the Kansas City Chiefs only have a 16 percent chance of making the playoffs. Athletics playoff simulator.
Essentially, this means they need to win their last four games and achieve a host of other results to clear their path.
But after the way Kansas City looked Sunday with its season essentially on the line, how can anyone be confident this team can actually win four games in a row?
They took poor penalties, made too many mistakes in big moments, and suffered more injuries to an already damaged offensive line.
Sunday's loss was a microcosm of what has plagued the Chiefs all season, and it was a shocking collapse for a team that had won nine straight AFC West titles under Andy Reid, a streak that was officially ended by the loss.
Now, to their credit, the Texans look like a legitimate contender in the AFC. Thanks to its top-notch defense, Houston has now won five straight and is just behind the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South.
The Texans had two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes with the worst completion percentage (42.4%) and worst passer rating (19.8) of his career.
However, it was the Chiefs' inability to execute in the scrum that truly doomed them on Sunday.
It used to be a foregone conclusion that these Chiefs and Mahomes would deliver when it mattered most, but not this year.
And that's a big reason why their streak of 10 straight playoff appearances is in serious jeopardy.
Allen and Bills D pull off thrilling win over Bengals
Down 28-18 in the fourth quarter on Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals looked good en route to a blowout road win over the Bills on a snowy day in Buffalo.
But Josh Allen and the Bills defense had other ideas.
Allen began his comeback with a 40-yard run that broke his own Bills record for the longest touchdown run by a quarterback.
On the Bengals' ensuing possession, Christian Benford made an incredible interception of a Joe Burrow pass and returned it for a score.
“It's nice to see your brother do his job … and be able to play for your team in big moments in the game,” Allen said of Benford's big play after the game. “It's so great. He deserves it all.”
The Bengals' collapse continued on the next play from scrimmage when AJ Epenesa deflected a Burrow pass for his second interception in as many plays.
That led to Allen's third touchdown of the game, which ended a stretch in which Buffalo scored three touchdowns in a 4:20 span en route to a 39-34 victory.
It was a big comeback win for the Bills. Not only have they maintained momentum in the busy AFC playoff race, but they are just two games behind the New England Patriots in the division, with the two rivals scheduled to meet next Sunday.
It was a huge missed opportunity for the Bengals.
While they're still mathematically alive in the race for the AFC North, at 4-9, the Bengals need to win and get a lot of help.
If Burrow had been able to play the entire season, things might have been different. But in reality, this feels like another year of missing the playoffs for a team that started out with much loftier ambitions.
Packers take control of NFC North, but Bears look legit
The Green Bay Packers won a big division game over the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Lambeau Field to take first place in the NFC North.
But despite Green Bay's 28-21 win, the takeaway from this game should be that both teams have a real chance to make some noise come playoff time.
For the first time this season, all of his top receivers are back on the field, and Packers QB Jordan Love followed up last week's four touchdowns with three more on Sunday.
Green Bay's defense also completely stymied the Bears in the first half and showed why the Packers are dangerous on both sides of the ball.
But instead of folding, the Bears made it a real game in the second half. Second-year key Caleb Williams threw for 154 yards and two touchdowns in the final two quarters and gave the Bears a chance to tie the game on their final possession.
It wasn't the result the Bears were hoping for, but Sunday was further proof of how the entire culture has changed under first-year head coach Ben Johnson.
Luckily for us football fans, these two teams will meet again in two weeks. And this time the Bears will have home field advantage.
The Steelers beat the Ravens to a quiet win.
It seems fitting that in a week when all the talk was about his job status, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin led his team to a big 27-22 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
The win moves the Steelers back into first place in the AFC North, and at 7-6 they are once again on track for a 19th straight undefeated season under Tomlin.
It wasn't a perfect game, as the Steelers received a questionable call to go their own way on a potential fourth-quarter touchdown from Ravens TE Isaiah, likely helping seal the win.
But the Steelers also had plenty of positives, especially on offense.
Aaron Rodgers played his best game for the Steelers, completing 23 of 34 passes for 284 yards and a touchdown. He also turned back the clock and scored a personal score for his first rushing touchdown since 2022.
“At least maybe you guys can shut up for a week,” Rodgers told reporters after the game.
There's still a long way to go, but Tomlin and Rodgers certainly deserve a week off from the negativity surrounding their team.
Meanwhile, it was another disappointing result for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Sunday was perhaps Jackson's best performance since his return from a hamstring injury, but it was all the more disappointing that it still ended in defeat.
At 6-7, they're still just one game behind the Steelers in the division with a Week 18 rematch still to come. But the Ravens now look nothing like the Super Bowl contender many predicted they would be at the start of the season.
The serrations are growing, the Colts are growing in a spiral
What a difference four weeks can make.
Flash forward to the end of Week 10: The Indianapolis Colts were 8-2 and in complete control of the AFC South, while the Jaguars averaged a 5-4 record.
But after Jacksonville's convincing 36-19 win over the Colts on Sunday, it is the Jaguars who now sit in the driver's seat of the AFC South at 9-4.
The Jags have won four straight and appear to have finally found some stability in quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Under first-year head coach Liam Cohen, Lawrence is playing the best football of his career, including throwing for 244 yards and two touchdowns in the rain on Sunday.
On the other hand, it would be hard to imagine a worse Sunday for the Colts. Not only did they lose the battle for first place in their division, but as reported lost quarterback Daniel Jones this season to a torn Achilles.
It's a devastating blow not only to the Colts' playoff hopes, but to Jones himself. After leading Indy to an 8-2 start, Jones looked poised for a big payday, signing just a one-year deal in the offseason.
But with his status at the start of next season now in doubt, the next contract could look a little different.
At 8-5, the Colts are far from in the doldrums. But with their starting QB and a brutal remaining schedule that pits them against Seattle, San Francisco, Jacksonville and Houston, there's a very real possibility they'll finish the season 0-4 and miss the playoffs after an 8-2 start.
Rams and Seahawks on Heavyweight Showdown
Week 14 was another great reminder of why many believe the two favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl belong in the same division.
The Los Angeles Rams bounced back from their shocking loss to the Carolina Panthers by crushing the Arizona Cardinals 45-17, while the Seattle Seahawks made light work of the Atlanta Falcons in a 37-9 win.
With the Bears' loss, the two NFC West teams now sit atop the conference with identical 10-3 records.
The Rams currently hold the tiebreaker thanks to their Week 11 win over the Seahawks, but a rematch is on the horizon.
When Los Angeles travels to Seattle in Week 16, it's possible that this game will decide which team ends up with the top seed in the NFC and a coveted bye in the first round of the postseason.
