The Bad, Worse and Excruciating From Sunday’s Chiefs Loss

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Chiefs organization hasn’t had a day as bad as Sunday in 13 years. That cold winter day in 2012 was the last time Kansas City was multiple games below .500 in December.

The bad

In Sunday’s 16-13 loss to the Chargers, snakes struck the Chiefs on their first series. Just like last week’s loss against Houston, the Chiefs lost their starter at offensive tackle early in the first drive. This time it was right tackle Jaylon Moore leaving after two plays, forcing Chu Godrick into the game for his NFL debut.

derwin jame — Dec 14, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. (3) celebrates with cornerback Donte Jackson (26) and linebacker Daiyan Henley (0) following an interception against the Kansas City Chiefs during the fourth quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

So, Patrick Mahomes just three snaps into the game had a rookie left tackle -- Esa Pole, making his first NFL start -- who never played high-school football, and Godrick, an International Player Pathway product who never played college or high-school football.

Mahomes didn’t blink. After taking a Tuli Tuipulotu sack, he side-armed a pass to Travis Kelce for 17 yards on third-and-11, and finished the first drive after finding a crease in the middle for a 12-yard touchdown run.

But the Chargers methodically chipped away, scoring a crushing touchdown just prior to halftime, Justin Herbert hitting KeAndre Lambert-Smith in the back of the end zone. That score brought the Chargers within three at 13-10.

Los Angeles got the ball to open the second half and drove 66 yards in 11 plays to tie the game on a Cameron Dicker field goal, then took the lead late in the third quarter. The Chargers’ defense closed the game, shutting out Kansas City in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium.

tre harri — Dec 14, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Tre' Harris (9) catches a pass against the Kansas City Chiefs during the fourth quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The worse

Kansas City’s 10-year string of playoff berths came to a screeching halt with the worst of luck. The Chiefs didn’t just lose to the Chargers (the first time any team has swept Kansas City in a season since 2014; Buffalo now owns sole possession of the league’s longest active streak without a sweep, also since 2014).

The Chiefs also saw each of the three elimination games go against them: Houston beating Arizona, 40-20; Jacksonville over the Jets, 48-20, and Buffalo erasing a 21-0 road deficit to beat New England, 35-31. That four-game parlay spelled doom, mathematically extinguishing the Chiefs’ playoff hopes.

josh alle — Dec 14, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox (88) celebrates with quarterback Josh Allen (17) after scoring a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The excruciating

On the Chiefs’ final drive, on their final gasp, the first play after the two-minute warning, Patrick Mahomes sustained a horribly looking injury to his left knee.

“We'll get an MRI tomorrow or this evening,” head coach Andy Reid said after the game, “whenever we get him in there.”

Flushed out of the pocket and rolling to his right, Mahomes’ lower body got tangled in the grasp of Da’Shawn Hand. Down on the grass for several minutes as officials walked off a holding penalty on Godrick, Mahomes went to the blue medical tent. Then, with a towel draped over his head, he hobbled to the locker room behind the Chiefs’ bench.

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