The Kansas City Chiefs are teetering on the edge of irrelevance in the 2025 NFL season, sitting at a disappointing 6-6 record — their worst at the midpoint since Patrick Mahomes II’s rookie year in 2017. All six losses? By one possession. No flukes. No blowouts. Just the same painful pattern: a lead, a mistake, a collapse. And now, with six games left, the question isn’t whether they can make the playoffs — it’s whether they still have what it takes to win them.
A Season Built on Near Misses
The Chiefs didn’t just lose games in 2025. They gave them away. In Week 5, a Monday night debacle in Jacksonville ended with Trevor Lawrence scrambling for the game-winning touchdown after Brian Thomas Jr. broke free on a 42-yard completion, then was fouled at the goal line. The defense, usually the team’s backbone, crumbled in the final 90 seconds — again. Fox Sports noted it wasn’t an anomaly. "They’ve done this every time," one analyst wrote. "A solid performance, then a penalty, a turnover, a missed tackle. Like clockwork." Patrick Mahomes II, 29, didn’t sugarcoat it after the game. "We’ve crush[ed] ourselves with penalties and mistakes and interceptions and fumbles," he said. "It’s one guy here or there. In this league, that’s enough to lose. We’ve lost too many games already." The numbers back him up. Kansas City’s six losses this season have been decided by an average of 3.2 points. One dropped pass. One holding call. One misread coverage. That’s all it’s taken. And it’s happened every time.Offensive Line Shines Amid Chaos
Amid the chaos, one unit has held steady: the offensive line. According to Next Gen Stats, Mahomes has been pressured on just 25.8% of his dropbacks — fourth-best in the NFL. His sack rate? A career-low 3.68%. For a quarterback who’s been sacked 47 times over the last two seasons, this is a revelation. The line, led by veteran Joe Thuney and rookie guard Zach Frazier, has given Mahomes time to work his magic. But time doesn’t mean anything if the ball doesn’t stay in your hands. Kansas City has turned it over 18 times this season — tied for the most in the AFC. And in the red zone? They’ve converted just 58% of trips into touchdowns, down from 74% last year.Defensive Woes and the Shadow of Felix Anudike-Uzomah
The defense has been a ghost town. Felix Anudike-Uzomah, the 22-year-old defensive end drafted 22nd overall in 2023, was expected to be the edge rusher who’d finally give Kansas City a true pass-rushing threat opposite Chris Jones. Instead, he went down in preseason with a hamstring tear — a devastating blow that left the Chiefs without their most explosive pass-rusher. His absence? The team has recorded just 18 sacks through 12 games, a full 10 fewer than last year. And it shows. Opponents are averaging 28.4 points per game — up from 19.7 in 2024. The secondary, already thin after losing safety Juan Thornhill to free agency, has been picked apart on deep balls. The Chiefs haven’t recorded a shutout since 2015 — until November 2, when they crushed the Las Vegas Raiders 31-0 at Arrowhead Stadium. It was their first regular-season shutout since 2011. A bright spot. But a fluke? Or a sign of what’s possible?
The Buffalo Problem
Then there’s the Buffalo Bills. StatMuse shows the Chiefs are 0-3 against them since late 2022 — including losses in 2023 and 2024. That’s not coincidence. It’s a trend. Buffalo’s defense, led by Tremaine Edmunds and Dawson Knox, has figured out how to disrupt Mahomes’ rhythm. And when the Chiefs fall behind? They’ve got no answer.What’s Next? The Final Six
The Chiefs still control their destiny. They’re tied for the final AFC Wild Card spot. But the schedule doesn’t care. They face the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13 — a team that just beat the Denver Broncos by 24 points. Then comes the Bills again on December 15. And the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17 — a team that’s won five straight. If they lose two of those three, their season’s over. If they win two? They’re in. But it won’t be pretty. It won’t be the high-flying, record-setting Chiefs of 2023. It’ll be gritty. Messy. And maybe, just maybe, it’ll be enough.
Can This Team Still Be Great?
Andy Reid, 66, has coached 11 playoff teams. He’s won two Super Bowls. He’s seen it all. But even he’s admitted this season has been different. "We’re not playing like a championship team," he said after the Raiders win. "We’re playing like a team that’s scared to make a mistake. And that’s not who we are." The truth? The Chiefs aren’t broken. They’re brittle. One good week of execution — no penalties, no turnovers, no blown coverages — and they’re right back in the conversation. But that week hasn’t come yet. And with every missed tackle, every dropped pass, every holding call, the window closes just a little more.Frequently Asked Questions
Why are all of the Chiefs’ losses so close?
Every one of Kansas City’s six losses in 2025 has been decided by seven points or fewer — with an average margin of just 3.2 points. The team has committed 18 turnovers and 52 penalties this season, many in critical moments. Their defense has allowed 14 plays of 20+ yards in the final 5 minutes of close games — the highest total in the NFL. It’s not bad luck. It’s execution failure.
How does Patrick Mahomes’ performance compare to last year?
Mahomes is throwing for similar yardage (2,817 yards through 12 games vs. 3,011 last year), but his interception rate has jumped from 1.5% to 2.9%. His QBR has dropped from 76.4 to 63.1, and he’s been sacked 17 times — up from 11 through the same point last season. The offensive line is protecting him better, but he’s making riskier throws under pressure, likely due to lack of trust in his receivers and defensive support.
Is the Chiefs’ 2025 season a sign of decline?
Not necessarily. The team’s core — Mahomes, Reid, Jones — is still intact. Their offensive line is better than ever. But the defense lacks depth, and key players like Felix Anudike-Uzomah are sidelined. This is more a season of missed opportunities than a collapse. If they make the playoffs, they’re dangerous. But if they miss, it’ll be because they couldn’t fix the little things — the same things that cost them every close game.
What’s the impact of Felix Anudike-Uzomah’s injury?
Anudike-Uzomah’s absence has been catastrophic. He was projected to add 8–10 sacks in 2025 and was the only true edge threat besides Chris Jones. Without him, the Chiefs have averaged just 1.5 sacks per game — down from 3.1 last year. Opponents have run the ball 34% more frequently against them in the second half. His injury didn’t just weaken the defense — it changed how teams game-plan against Kansas City.
Can the Chiefs still make the playoffs?
Yes — but they need to win at least four of their final six games, including victories over the Bills and Chargers. They’re currently tied for the 7th seed. A win over the Raiders in Week 14 and a loss by the Jets or Broncos would put them in. But they’ve shown no consistency. If they can’t stop turning the ball over and avoid penalties in the red zone, even a 9-8 record won’t be enough.
How does this compare to the Chiefs’ 2017 season?
In 2017, Mahomes was a rookie backup who only started Week 16. The Chiefs were 6-6 under Alex Smith, then went 5-1 down the stretch to win the AFC West. This year, Mahomes is the franchise. The roster is deeper. But the mental toughness is lacking. Back then, they had a veteran QB who knew how to close. Now, they have a generational talent surrounded by players who can’t finish. The parallels are there — but the stakes are higher.