There is one question on everyone’s mind in the football world after the Houston Texans defeated the Kansas City Chiefs on the road on Sunday Night Football:
Can the Chiefs still make the 2025 NFL playoffs?
After building an empire over the past half-decade that has seen Kansas City make the last three Super Bowls, including two wins, the dynasty might be on its last legs as we near the end of the campaign.
If the Chiefs had defeated the Texans, their chances of making the postseason and running for a fourth-straight Super Bowl appearance would have shot up to 54%.
Now at 6-7, with only four games remaining, their playoff odds have plummeted to a shockingly low 15%. They are tied with the Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins in the standings, looking up at the rest of the AFC.
In the fourth quarter, where Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and Travis Kelce have made magical comeback after magical comeback in their run as the league’s premier team, the ending changed. While Mahomes scrambled, dipped, and dove around defenders looking for that perfect pass to extend a drive, there was no connection at the end of it.
Houston’s elite defense shut down the Chiefs, and the offense did enough to get the job done. After starting the season at 0-3 and all but left for dead in the AFC standings, the Texans are now in a power position to make the postseason at 87% with an 8-5 record.
Kansas City, which will now more than likely need to win its final four games of the season to have a chance at returning to the playoffs, welcomes the Los Angeles Chargers next week.
Their final three games are at Tennessee to play the Titans, at home against the AFC West-leading Denver Broncos, and then finishing the season on the road against the Raiders in Las Vegas.
So, yes, the Chiefs can still make the playoffs.
But is it likely? No.
In the past, that wouldn’t have mattered to Mahomes and the rest of the Chiefs. After what we’ve seen this season, there might be no magic left in the (former) Kingdom of Kansas City.
