Chargers warned stumble vs. Chiefs could lead to missing playoffs

The Los Angeles Chargers sit in the driver’s seat for an NFL playoff berth entering the Week 15 game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

There, the Chargers could do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to knocking the Chiefs from the playoffs and putting an actual end to the dynasty for Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and those AFC West rivals.

But the game against the Chiefs is just one part of what looks like a really grueling schedule to finish out the season for the Chargers.

And even if it was an easy remaining schedule, there are those still warning that the Chargers could always pull a Chargers down the stretch and fumble when it matters most.

Chargers’ schedule, reputation creates warnings

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert — Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

First, here’s how the Chargers close out the season over the final four weeks:

At Kansas City Chiefs
At Dallas Cowboys
Vs. Houston Texans
At Denver Broncos

Second, one of the many warnings being thrown at Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers team right now, courtesy of NFL.com’s Ali Bhanpuri:

“If you look at the Chargers' grueling remaining slate -- at Dallas, vs. Houston, at Denver -- the idea of a loss at Arrowhead sending the Bolts spiraling isn't completely farfetched (just mostly). Even so, the Chiefs would still have to worry about …”

As the writeup goes on to note, the Chargers can’t afford to slip now. The Indianapolis Colts hold the tiebreaker over them in the AFC thanks to the head-to-head matchup. Stumbling now would give the Colts a chance to steal a spot.

And again, the schedule isn’t easy. The Chiefs might be in the middle of a nose-dive, but going into Arrowhead and winning is never so simple.

The Cowboys? They might be 6-6-1, but it’s yet another pesky road game with a 1 p.m. ET kickoff, so there’s nothing guaranteed there.

full #LACvsKC game status pic.twitter.com/8aEW7vIe2g
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) December 12, 2025

That Week 17 game against the Houston Texans has morphed into a different sort of beast, too. Those Texans have rattled off five straight wins to sit at 8-5 and boast an elite defense.

Denver is Denver, too, a tough road game against a Broncos team that has surprisingly sprinted to an 11-2 record and is running away with the AFC West. Yes, the Chargers beat them back in Week 3, a 23-20 outcome, but things have clearly changed.

Tack on the dramatic injury woes for the Chargers, highlighted by a depleted offensive line and Justin Herbert continuing to play not that far removed from surgery on his non-throwing hand. It’s not hard to see why some have turned a raised eyebrow at the Chargers.

The Chargers control their own destiny right now. But the only way to thwart the skepticism built on years of history is to keep winning.

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