STWF Sports|Nov. 20, 2025 – Two games. In the NFL, that’s all it takes for a season to flip upside down — and the Kansas City Chiefs are living proof.

Coming out of Week 8, Kansas City looked revived. They had beaten two of the league’s elite teams — the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens — and Patrick Mahomes once again resembled the quarterback who rewrote playoff history. The Chiefs appeared primed for another late-season surge.

But in the three weeks since, Kansas City has plunged into a spiral, dropping back-to-back games to the Buffalo Bills and rival Denver Broncos, falling to 5–5 and third in the AFC West. A team that has won the division every year since 2016 now seems unlikely to continue that streak.

At this moment, the goal is no longer about seeding, home-field advantage, or defending dominance.
It’s about survival.

Kansas City enters Week 12 needing a win against the 8–2 Indianapolis Colts, whose explosive offense has powered them to the top of the AFC South. Led by NFL passing yards leader Daniel Jones and MVP-caliber running back Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis has become one of the league’s toughest outs.

For Mahomes and the Chiefs, this game feels like a season hinge.

Mahomes Sr. Pushes Back at Playoff Doubts

As the pressure mounts, one man isn’t flinching: Patrick Mahomes Sr.

After Chiefs fan and content creator Shane Williams posted on Facebook predicting Kansas City would miss the postseason, Mahomes Sr. jumped into the comments with a simple message of defiance.

“I’ll take any bet that anyone wants to make that we make the playoffs. So just DM and let me know.”

It’s a bold stance considering the Chiefs currently sit ninth in the AFC playoff standings — outside the postseason field — and trail three teams that already hold head-to-head tiebreakers over them (Bills, Chargers, Jaguars).

But confidence, for the Mahomes family, has never been in short supply.

Mahomes Takes Accountability for Deep-Ball Struggles

For the Chiefs to turn things around, their offensive engine must start firing again. Mahomes, who has struggled unusually with the deep ball this season, did not shy away from responsibility.

He is just 17-of-48 on passes traveling 20+ yards, with only one touchdown and one interception.

“I’m just not making the throws,” Mahomes admitted Wednesday.
“Guys are getting open. It’s on me to hit those deeper throws to loosen the defense up.”

Kansas City continues to move the ball well between the 20s, but the explosive plays that once made them unguardable have evaporated. The Chiefs still score 25.4 points per game, up from 22.6 last year, but their inability to close out tight games — a stunning 0–5 record in one-score contests — has become their Achilles’ heel.

“You hit one deep throw and the offense opens up,” Mahomes added.
“We’ve got to take what’s there, but we also need those big plays back.”

Could Kansas City Really Miss the Playoffs?

The answer, suddenly, is yes.

Losing to the Bills is understandable. Losing to Denver — coming out of a bye week, against a team missing star corner Pat Surtain II — was a major red flag.

Kansas City’s defense remains solid, ranking seventh in yards allowed, but the offense has forced them into too many tight, late-game scenarios they’ve failed to finish.

The Chiefs’ remaining schedule offers a glimmer of hope. After the Colts, Kansas City faces:

• Cowboys

• Titans

• Raiders

—all winnable games. Their biggest remaining tests, Houston and the Chargers, come at Arrowhead Stadium.

Still, with seven games left and a conference stacked with playoff hopefuls, Kansas City is closer to elimination than they have been in the entire Mahomes era.

A Season-Defining Sunday

The Colts average nearly 397 yards per game, and their offense can punish even good defenses. The Chiefs, meanwhile, must rediscover the clutch gene that powered their dynasty.

The idea of a postseason without Kansas City — a team that has won three Super Bowls in five years — feels almost unimaginable.

But unless Mahomes and company respond on Sunday, that unimaginable scenario could soon become reality.