Chiefs Need Win at Denver to Avoid Dubious Distinction

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Chiefs are getting back to being the Chiefs in many areas, as they look back on the season’s first half. There’s one category, however, in which they’re loudly and uncharacteristically not themselves.

Winning close games.

“We've had great moments, we've had bad moments,” Patrick Mahomes said after the 28-21 loss at Buffalo last week. “We got to be more consistent as a team. I got to be more consistent as a quarterback, and we got to be able to battle.

“I mean, we've kind of been in a lot of these tight, close games in our history, but they're not going our way now. So how can we deal with that adversity? How can we be better and learn from it? I mean, you only learn from so many losses. I mean, you got to kind of learn from it fast, and it’s gonna be an uphill battle when we get back, but I think our guys are up to it.”

josh alle — Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen keeps the ball and gets a first down during second half action against the Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Nov. 2, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Brutal November schedule

Hopefully, because when the Chiefs get back, they get two of the three best teams in the AFC – in consecutive fashion. After a showdown in Denver (8-2) against the team with the NFL’s best record, Kansas City gets to host Indianapolis (7-2) on Nov. 23. The only other NFL team entering Sunday with a record at least as good as the Colts is the upstart Patriots, also 7-2.

And aliens may have abducted the Chiefs this offseason. There isn’t really a better way to explain how an NFL team can establish a league record with 17 consecutive victories in one-score games, then lose four straight to begin the ensuing season.

jonathan taylo — Oct 26, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

The unexplained

In paranormal fashion, all four of the Chiefs’ losses this year – 27-21 in Brazil against the Chargers, 20-17 in Week 2 against the Eagles, 31-28 at Jacksonville in Week 5 and 28-21 at Buffalo last week – have been by seven points or less. Meanwhile, they’re 5-0 in blowouts.

And at Denver in Week 11, should they lose another one-score game, the Chiefs would establish their first five-game losing streak in those games since Mahomes became the starting quarterback in 2018. According to analyst Scott Kacsmar, Mahomes is 55-25 (.688) in close games over his career, but has never dropped five straight.

Chiefs have played 80 games with Mahomes decided by 1-8 points:

• 3-0 to start career
• 3-5 to finish 2018
• 2-0 to start 2019
• 0-3 slump
• 12-1 run into 2021
• 0-2 in cons. weeks in 2021
• 9-5 run into 2022 thru CIN loss
• 10-1 run into 2023
• 0-4 thru Xmas 2023
•… https://t.co/YVpaUQrF8I
— Scott Kacsmar (@ScottKacsmar) November 6, 2025

“Obviously, it's the bye week,” Travis Kelce said on Wednesday’s edition of New Heights, “so I'm kind of looking at everything. Like, I've taken a step back and kind of looked at the whole scheme of things. And yeah, it's frustrating, man. I mean, 5-4, a little over .500 right now, out of the playoffs, if the playoffs started right now.

“We gotta get this sh** going, man. And to see the schedule, it doesn't get much easier. Our next three opponents are absolutely on fire, two of which are the Broncos, who we have coming up after the bye, and then the Colts after that. So, we got to get things rolling, man.”

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