Arrowhead Report

Chiefs Kingdom Bids Farewell to Miserable 2025 Season

The Kansas City Chiefs ended their 2025 NFL season on a six-game losing streak. Fans weren't too sad to see this campaign come to a close.
Andy Quach|
Jan 4, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) arrives before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Jan 4, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) arrives before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Kansas City Chiefs

Travis Kelce's outfit was a perfect reflection of the mood surrounding the Kansas City Chiefs going into their 2025 NFL season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders. It was dark, somber, and modest. It was also symbolic of the team's effort in Week 18: admirable, but just not quite enough.

Chiefs fans weren't exactly heartbroken to see this season end. For them, it was over weeks ago, when they dropped to 6-8 with a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, got eliminated from playoff contention, and witnessed star quarterback Patrick Mahomes tear his ACL in the futile effort. From that point on, it felt like the team went into cruise control, just hoping to get to the finish line as quickly as possible. They made it, with a miserable 14-12 loss to the Raiders.

Kansas City Chiefs, NFL, Las Vegas Raiders, Travis Kelce
Jan 4, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) warms up before a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Not much to celebrate

With both Patrick Mahomes and backup Gardner Minshew II tearing their ACLs, third-stringer Chris Oladokun had the opportunity to prove himself in the final games of the Kansas City Chiefs' 2025 NFL season. It's safe to say that he didn't capitalize on his chance. Against the Las Vegas Raiders, he threw for just 58 yards on 11-of-17 passing, took three sacks for 40 yards, and lost two fumbles. Needless to say, he didn't win over the hearts of the fans in his two-and-a-half games at the helm.

One young player did impress in Sin City, though: running back Brashard Smith. There was hype throughout the season that the Chiefs' 2025 seventh-round draft pick might be able to earn more touches in the backfield, with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt failing to create explosives and take pressure off of Mahomes and the passing game. Smith didn't have a crazy game by any means, but he finished with 56 yards on 12 carries.

There was a lot of speculation that this game might be Travis Kelce's last in the NFL. If so, the Chiefs truly failed to give him a farewell tour worthy of honoring him and his time with KC. He caught just three balls for 12 yards against the Raiders. Since Mahomes went down, Kelce has totaled nine receptions for 54 yards and no touchdowns. He used to do that in a half with Mahomes throwing him the ball.

On the bright side, Chris Oladokun was able to do enough last week to make Kelce the first tight end to record 12 seasons with 800 or more receiving yards. This week, he became the fastest player at his position to reach 13,000 yards receiving. The Chiefs were unable to give him the option to retire at the league's pinnacle this season, but at least he got there himself on an individual level.

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Andy Quach
ANDY QUACH

Andy Quach is a journalism graduate from Florida Gulf Coast University with extensive experience covering the NFL, NBA, and college sports. He is the assistant beat writer for the Jacksonville Jaguars Om SI, and also serves as the fantasy sports and betting reporter for four NFL teams.