TThis is how great runs end. Not with one catastrophic failure, but with a slow drift towards the finish line, looking old, tired and devoid of ideas. For the Chiefs, that sense of finality came Sunday night, delivered by the Texans in a 20-10 home loss that seemed more lopsided than the score.
For much of this season, the Chiefs have had a gnawing sense of inevitability. Judging by the results of the eye test or preliminary data, this year the group was A little better than a 15-win team that came away with a one-point win last season, made the playoffs, and then got crushed by the Eagles in the Super Bowl. Even as the losses mounted this year, the Chiefs still seemed to overcome them. If they could figure out their disjointed offense and find some juice on defense, they could make the playoffs. And in a one-time game with everything on the line, it will still be difficult to move beyond the Andy Reid-Patrick Mahomes axis.
Now the Chiefs sit at 6-7, looking at the standings with the grim realization that they are exactly as their record says: not that good. There will be analytical models insisting that the Chiefs remain in the top 10 in efficiency here or expected points there. But those numbers have become background noise in a season characterized by falls, mistakes and an erosion of their aura.
Sunday at Arrowhead was a moment where fans met excrement. The Chiefs didn't just lose; they were shocked. Mahomes completed just 42.8% of his passes and completed just two of 12 passes under pressure as Houston's relentless defensive front attacked a makeshift offensive line. The Texans were tougher, faster, smarter and looked like a cohesive, if flawed, team. They have playmakers at every level of defense, and they all showed up to agitate Mahomes.
For the first time since 2021, Mahomes' offense was shut down for an entire half of a regular-season game.
All of Kansas City's long-denied vulnerabilities surfaced at once. Mahomes was killed three times. The offense couldn't reliably move the ball through the air or on the ground, once again relying on the quarterback to lead the team and rush to generate any momentum. Everything seemed stale, with the same old, recycled answers to the same old problems. This was not a decade of relentless delay, but a tired organization pursuing exhausting ideas with an outdated core and no idea how to evolve.
The defeat was, in many ways, a microcosm of the season. The Chiefs missed several third-and-long conversions by C.J. Stroud and the Texans offense. They missed a field goal. Wide receiver Tyquan Thornton couldn't hold on to a long touchdown pass from Mahomes, one of six throws by Chiefs passers, the most in any game in the Mahomes era. And then came the fourth and first setback, coming from deep within the team's own territory.
Tied 10-10 early in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs faced fourth-and-1 from their own 31-yard line. Reed, being a typical conservative, went for it. Mahomes' pass hit the grass and the Texans took excellent field position and scored a touchdown, effectively sealing the game.
“I take full responsibility for that,” Reed said after the game. “I thought we could do it, but I was wrong.”
The call was revealing. It was Reed who admitted he needed to do something. Another thing is that his team has no product this season.
The fall did not happen overnight. Behind Reid and Mahomes, the Chiefs made seven straight AFC Championship games, winning three Super Bowls. Even in the weakest times, they found a way. But this season, 20 points, once a comical attempt to upset the Chiefs, has become the threshold teams need just to compete. The crime is stagnant. The defense is mediocre, even if it gave the Texans' mediocre offensive line plenty of problems on Sunday. Long breaks in the postseason, accumulated hits, personnel misfires – all this took its toll. Even trusted veterans reflect this problem. Travis Kelce, 36, was their safest target until Sunday night. Kareem Hunt, 30, is their most efficient running back at 30. This is not an indication of a healthy composition.
The Chiefs aren't completely out of playoff contention just yet. But they trail Houston by two games and lose the tiebreaker. In any case, a delay in January will not improve anything. This team needs something more: a complete reset, which they embraced after being dismantled by the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl when they overhauled their entire offensive line in the offseason.
Now they need an even more radical solution – new weapons, ideas and energy. Mahomes has been hiding fundamental problems for years. But this is no longer enough. Stick a fork into this version of a leadership dynasty.
MVP of the week
Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills. We got snow in Buffalo! And it came courtesy of one of the greatest quarterback duels of the season. Allen and Joe Burrow went toe-to-toe, throwing dart after dart in harsh conditions. But it was Allen who made the biggest plays in the biggest moments, obliterating the Bengals' woeful defense for 329 yards and four touchdowns without a turnover in a 39-34 shootout win. Burrow matched Allen early, amassing an 11-point lead at halftime, but erased it all with a pair of interceptions on consecutive drives. Allen, once again asked to keep the Bills out of trouble, responded as he always does. He went into full MVP mode, putting the team on his back while being beaten or rushed on almost half of his dropbacks. Every important moment belonged to him: third and fourth losses, broken pockets, unsuccessful games. And then to top it off, third and 15 scrambles up the middle – breaks 18 yards to ice the game.
The Bills, despite their shaky defense, move to 9-4 with the division-leading Patriots on deck.
Video of the week
The season may depend on the decision. For the Ravens and Steelers, it could all come down to the decision of the official. Make your own choice: touchdown or not?
In Pittsburgh, with Baltimore taking a late lead, Lamar Jackson hit tight end Isaiah Probably in the end zone for the go-ahead goal. But after initially being ruled for a touchdown, the catch was changed to an incomplete pass. Despite the fact that Lickley controlled the ball and took two steps. The judges ruled that he did not complete the catching process and did not make a “football move” by taking the third step down in time. The Ravens had two more shots from the 13 and came up empty, then staggered through a frantic final minute without finding the end zone. Pittsburgh came away with a 27-22 record and moved to the top of the AFC North standings.
Both teams showed their weakness. The Steelers got Aaron Rodgers' biggest catch of the season. He was determined, skillful and willing to throw the ball down the field, completing his first pass of more than 20 yards since October. Rodgers even scored his first rushing touchdown since 2022. But Pittsburgh's offense was tight in the fourth quarter, and despite Rodgers' best efforts, he could only score 27 points, giving the Ravens an opportunity to get back into the game, but they failed to do so. If they miss the playoffs, they'll spend a good portion of the offseason thinking about what didn't happen.
Statistics of the week
8-5. That's the Colts' record after a week in which they fell from the top of the AFC South to third in the division with a 36-19 loss to the Jaguars. After crushing teams to start the year, their season is effectively over. Daniel Jones tore his Achilles in the first quarter, ruling him out for the rest of the season and most of next year. This is a crushing blow. Jones' return was one of the stories of the year. He was in line for a $100 million contract this offseason, and the Colts signed the quarterback after trading two first-round picks for Sauce Gardner at the deadline. Jones faces a difficult recovery. He was already playing with a fractured fibula in his opposite leg, and it's a wonder why he was allowed to play in the first place. The Colts are out of options at quarterback, relying on sixth-round rookie Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson on injured reserve with a fractured orbital bone. In the short term, this will end any hopes of making the playoffs, and once the future is out of the way, the medium-term prospects will be murky at best.
Elsewhere in the league
— Some games come down to one game. After putting together a series of exceptional efforts and forcing them into a one-score game with the Packers in Lambeau, the Bears were unable to convert on their last-second play on fourth down deep in Green Bay territory. With a chance to tie the game, Caleb Williams intercepted the ball in the end zone with 22 seconds left. It was a poor decision given the incredible play of the Bears' quarterback. Rolling out of the pocket, Williams was the first down from the scrimmage. He had an open touchdown pass to Cole Kmet. But Williams threw the ball into the waiting hands of Packers corner Kasin Nixon, sealing Green Bay's 28-21 victory. As a result, Green Bay rises to second place in the NFC rankings, while the Bears slip from first place to seventh.
— Mike McDaniel is keeping his job in Miami. The Dolphins beat the Jets 34–10, extending their winning streak to four. Don't look now, but the Dolphins are 6-7, matching the Ravens' record and just two wins behind the Colts. The Dolphins have less than a 1% chance of making the playoffs given the strength of the West, South, Bills and Patriots. But if you plant them in the North, they will become favorites to win the division. McDaniel looked like a solid candidate to be cut once the season was over. But a strong second half of the year may have bought him another season with a new quarterback.
–What about Tyler Shaw? The Saints' rookie quarterback continues to prove he's more than just a placeholder in a lost season. Shaw scored two touchdowns as the Saints beat the Bucs 24-20 on the road. During the rainy season, the Saints dragged the Beeches into the mud. Baker Mayfield, exhausted, rushed and constantly irritated, never found a rhythm, completing just 14 of 30 pass attempts with an interception and a touchdown. The four-time defending NFC South champions have lost four of their last five games and are tied for first place with the Panthers. The Bucs and Panthers will play each other twice in the final three games in what is essentially a mini-playoff.
— Speaking of rookie quarterbacks, Sheader Sanders had the best performance of his young career. He became the first rookie quarterback this season to throw for 300-plus yards, completing 23 of 42 attempts in a 31-29 loss to the Titans. Sanders made one wayward interception and took a pair of fumbled sacks, two defining traits of his game. But he looked more comfortable with the speed of the league, making accurate throws at all levels of the field and extending plays when the pressure hit the backfield. He found Jerry Jeudy with a 60-yard touchdown dart, joining Rodgers as the only quarterbacks since 2000 to have four completions of 50 yards or more in his first three starts. Sanders may not be polished, but he continues to prove that he has a starting skill set despite the lack of talent around him.
