season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-andy-reid-patrick-mahomes-recovery-torn-acl');   ga('set', 'title', 'Andy Reid expects Patrick Mahomes to have ‘fairly quick’ recovery from torn ACL');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Patrick-Mahomes-leaving.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Andy Reid expects Patrick Mahomes to have ‘fairly quick’ recovery from torn ACL</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-15T12:38:35-08:00">December 15th, 12:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-15T12:38:35-08:00">December 15th, 12:38pm</time><address><a>Zachary Draves</a>Zachary Draves is a sportswriter and broadcaster based in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. Zachary covers a variety of different sports as well as sports history, sport and society, and sport and culture. He is also a professor of sociology.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Chiefs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs were dealt a one-two knockout punch. First, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-patrick-mahomes-tore-acl-chargersweek-15">Patrick Mahomes sustained a torn ACL</a>. Subsequently, their 16-13 loss to the LA Chargers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-most-blame-playoff-fate-sealed-chargers-week-15-2025">eliminated them from the playoffs</a>.</p><p>This is one year after they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/why-chiefs-will-beat-eagles-super-bowl-59">reached the Super Bowl</a>.</p><p>On Monday, head coach Andy Reid <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6891668/2025/12/15/chiefs-patrick-mahomes-acl-recovery/" rel="noopener">expressed confidence</a> that Mahomes is on the path towards a speedy recovery, per Jesse Newell of The Athletic.</p><p>“You never know on these rehabs how they go. I just know he’s got good people that he’ll be working with, and I know how aggressive he is on things,” Reid said Monday. “And as long as the surgery goes well and as expected, then I would expect a fairly quick recovery for him just because of those factors.”</p><p>The Chiefs have three games left in the year. Next Sunday, they will play against the Tennessee Titans. After that, they will take on the Denver Broncos on Christmas Day. Finally, they will conclude the season against the Las Vegas Raiders on Jan. 4.</p><p>Also, Mahomes finishes the season with 3,587 passing yards and 22 touchdowns. Plus, he had a pass completion rate of 62.7%.</p><p>Against the Chargers, he finished with 189 passing yards and one interception.</p><h2><b>Could this be the beginning of the end of the Chiefs?</b></h2><p>Over the last several years, the Chiefs have embarked on a dynasty run. From 2018-2024, Kansas City won three Super Bowls in five seasons.</p><p>Along the way, elevating the stature of Coach Reid, Mahomes, and Travis Kelce. With his injury, Mahomes’ return for next season remains in doubt. Also, Kelce, 36, has been contemplating retirement.</p><p>Altogether, they have struggled in competitive games, a 1-7 record overall in one-point games. Now the organization may undergo restructuring by targeting draft picks and changing the roster.</p><p>It’s said that all good things must come to an end. We may have just watched Act One.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Andy Reid expects Patrick Mahomes to have ‘fairly quick’ recovery from torn ACL

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-andy-reid-patrick-mahomes-update-after-devastating-acl-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chiefs’ Andy Reid gives Patrick Mahomes update after devastating ACL injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Chiefs-head-coach-Andy-Reid_dbd224.jpg"><figcaption>Denny Medley-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Chiefs’ Andy Reid gives Patrick Mahomes update after devastating ACL injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-15T10:51:06-08:00">December 15th, 10:51am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-15T11:27:29-08:00">December 15th, 11:27am</time><address><a>Ben Strauss</a>Ben Strauss is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a die-hard NFL fan who cheers for the Detroit Lions. He has previously written fantasy football content for IDPGuys and ImportantNonsense.com.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Chiefs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Kansas City <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/clutchpoints-nfl-power-rankings-week-16-bears-bills-win-chiefs-eliminated-2025">Chiefs are in shambles headed into Week 16</a>. Kansas City lost in Week 15 and is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-4-things-must-happen-kansas-city-eliminated-from-playoffs-week-15">officially eliminated from playoff contention</a> for the first time since 2014. To make matters worse, Patrick <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-patrick-mahomes-tore-acl-chargersweek-15">Mahomes suffered a torn ACL</a> during the final minutes of the game. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid opened his Monday press conference with an update on his quarterback.</p><p>Mahomes is going to Dallas <a href="https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/2000633011466043690" rel="noopener">for a second opinion</a> on the surgery needed to repair the ACL tear in his left knee, per ESPN’s Nate Taylor.</p><p>It is interesting to hear that Mahomes is seeking a second opinion. Mahomes is almost certainly doing his due diligence by seeking a second opinion.</p><p>Reid also <a href="https://x.com/ByNateTaylor/status/2000629006257860715" rel="noopener">gave an update</a> on how Mahomes is doing after his devastating ACL injury.</p><p>“I’ve had a good visit with him a couple times. He’s in a good place,” Reid said about Mahomes, per Taylor. “He feels he let people down. … He’s ready for the challenge that’s ahead.”</p><p>One of the worst parts about Mahomes’ injury is the timing. ACL injuries often require a minimum six months of recovery time, sometimes more. That could be an issue for Mahomes as that puts him square in the middle of Kansas City’s offseason program.</p><p>It remains a possibility that Mahomes could even miss part of the regular season in 2026 if he is not fully recovered and in football shape by then.</p><p>But Reid has complete confidence in how Mahomes <a href="https://x.com/KCChiefs_Matt/status/2000628739663650989" rel="noopener">will approach his rehab process</a>.</p><p>“He’ll attack it, just like he does everything else…He’ll get after it,” Reid added, per Chiefs reporter Matt McMullen. “He has good people here to rehab him, and he’ll be right on top of all that.”</p><p>But Kansas City still has to close out the regular season before they can focus on the offseason. Enough though they’re eliminated from the playoffs.</p><p>Next up for the Chiefs is a Week 16 matchup against the Titans.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chiefs’ Andy Reid gives Patrick Mahomes update after devastating ACL injury

ClutchPoints’ NFL Power Rankings, Week 16: Bears, Bills win as Chiefs eliminated

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-fans-think-travis-kelce-retiring-viral-double-tap');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chiefs fans think Travis Kelce is retiring after viral ‘double tap’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Travis-Kelce-9.jpg"><figcaption>Denny Medley-Imagn Images.</figcaption></figure><h1>Chiefs fans think Travis Kelce is retiring after viral ‘double tap’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-15T06:34:39-08:00">December 15th, 6:34am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-15T06:34:39-08:00">December 15th, 6:34am</time><address><a>Andrew Korpan</a>Andrew Korpan is the lead entertainment editor and film critic for ClutchPoints. He's also an award-winning author and Ken Jeong's best friend.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Celebrity</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Following his team’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-most-blame-playoff-fate-sealed-chargers-week-15-2025">latest loss to the Los Angeles Chargers</a>, fans think <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/stephen-a-smith-travis-kelce-will-retire-soon">Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is retiring</a> after the season, following a subtle post-game moment.</p><p>A video has surfaced of a deflated Kelce walking to the locker room following the Chiefs’ loss to the Chargers. He turned down young fans’ requests for a high-five on his way, and as he walked into the locker room, he tapped the wall twice.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">and if i said the double tap on the wall was a sign of acceptance then what <a href="https://t.co/j5Tw6ocUKb">pic.twitter.com/j5Tw6ocUKb</a></p><p>— katie⸆⸉❤️‍🔥 (@chloeandoomfs) <a href="https://twitter.com/chloeandoomfs/status/2000320977054613884?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>“I wonder if he will retire like Jason [Kelce] did when the Eagles didn’t make the playoffs last year,” a fan commented before turning it into a Taylor Swift reference. “Because it would mean it was 13 years each in the NFL.”</p><p>Another fan pondered the chances that Kelce retires after the season, especially given the longevity of his playing career. He has played 13 years in the NFL, and he played for years before that in his childhood and in college.</p><p>“He’s 36, which isn’t old by most standards[,] but he’s been playing football since he was a teenager if not [before] that,” they wrote, “that’s a long time[,] especially when you consider the high level of football he’s played for 13 [years]. I’m not saying he will retire[,] but the likelihood is high.”</p><h2><b>Will Chiefs TE Travis Kelce retire after the season?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Chiefs-tight-end-Travis-Kelce.jpg"><figcaption>Amy Kontras-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It has been an up-and-down ride in 2025 for Kelce and the Chiefs. For the first time since Patrick Mahomes took the reins in 2018, they will miss the playoffs.</p><p>After losing Super Bowl 59 to the Philadelphia Eagles, Kelce contemplated retirement. However, he decided to come back for at least one more season.</p><p>So far, he has 67 catches for 797 yards and five touchdowns. While there are still a few games to go, this is a better season than he had in 2024.</p><p>The Chiefs dropped their third straight game, this time to the Chargers, in Week 15. Kelce caught seven passes for 70 yards, his highest output since their loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 11.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chiefs fans think Travis Kelce is retiring after viral ‘double tap’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-chris-jones-found-about-playoff-elimination-podium');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chiefs’ Chris Jones found out about playoff elimination live at the podium');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Chris-Jones-of-the-Kansas-City-Chiefs.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Chiefs’ Chris Jones found out about playoff elimination live at the podium</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-14T23:56:50-08:00">December 14th, 11:56pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-14T23:58:58-08:00">December 14th, 11:58pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Chiefs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-most-blame-playoff-fate-sealed-chargers-week-15-2025">Kansas City Chiefs’ remarkable run of postseason success came to an end</a> on Sunday, as a 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers officially eliminated the team from playoff contention. For the first time since 2014, Kansas City will not participate in the postseason, ending a 10-year streak of consecutive playoff appearances — the second-longest in NFL history. Along with this, the team’s nine-year streak of AFC West titles and seven-year run of making the AFC Championship Game with Patrick Mahomes as the starting quarterback have also ended.</p><p>The game itself was a microcosm of the challenges the Chiefs faced on the field in 2025. Kansas City was leading 13-3 before conceding the final 13 points to Los Angeles. Mahomes, who completed 16 of 28 passes for 189 yards with one interception and no touchdowns, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-patrick-mahomes-tore-acl-chargersweek-15">left the game late after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee</a>. It will be the first time in Mahomes’ career as a starter that he will miss the playoffs and the first time he will not play in the AFC Championship Game. Backup quarterback <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-gardner-minshew-brutal-interception-after-patrick-mahomes-injury-seals-playoff-fate">Gardner Minshew entered for the final drive but threw an interception</a>, ratifying the setback and the end of the Chiefs’ playoff hopes.</p><p>The loss, coupled with wins by the Buffalo Bills over the New England Patriots, the Jacksonville Jaguars against the New York Jets, and the Houston Texans over the Arizona Cardinals, mathematically determined Kansas City’s fate.</p><p>The news was particularly shocking for defensive tackle Chris Jones, <a href="https://x.com/MySportsUpdate/status/2000420790118863333" rel="noopener">who discovered the team’s elimination</a> during the postgame press conference.</p><p>Initially unaware of the official playoff status, Jones expressed hope, saying, “We still have a fighting chance,” but he hesitated mid-sentence, picking up on the tension in the room, which led him to ask:</p><p>“Are we out of the playoffs?” The reply was an unmistakable yes, which led to a solemn “Ok” response from Jones.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chiefs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chiefs</a> DT Chris Jones found out in his postgame press conference that KC was eliminated from the playoffs:</p><p>“We still have a fighting chance. Are we out of the playoffs? We are? Ok…”</p><p>(🎥 <a href="https://twitter.com/KWCH12?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KWCH12</a>)<a href="https://t.co/WBiQfZE1PK">pic.twitter.com/WBiQfZE1PK</a> <a href="https://t.co/Lacm5F7aae">https://t.co/Lacm5F7aae</a></p><p>— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) <a href="https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/2000420790118863333?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>This season has been full of bumps in the road for the Chiefs. They couldn’t come through in clutch situations, losing 7 of 8 one-score games after going unbeaten in those same matchups in the previous season. Injuries and lackluster play up front and at receiver made matters worse, and for the first time since 2015, Kansas City missed out on the AFC West.</p><p>For players like Mahomes, Jones, three-time Pro Bowl center Creed Humphrey, linebacker Nick Bolton, and defensive end George Karlaftis, the postseason absence heralds a historic first in their careers. Over the last decade, the Chiefs had been a fixture in January, reaching three straight Super Bowls and winning three championships.</p><p>Entering Week 15, the Chiefs held a 6-7 record. After Sunday’s defeat, they fell to 6-8 with three remaining games on the schedule against the Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos, and Las Vegas Raiders. With no playoffs on the line, the final games will only be about pride and draft placement.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chiefs’ Chris Jones found out about playoff elimination live at the podium

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-most-blame-playoff-fate-sealed-chargers-week-15-2025');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chiefs most to blame after playoff fate gets sealed vs. Chargers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Chiefs-most-to-blame-after-playoff-fate-gets-sealed-vs.-Chargers.jpg"></figure><h1>Chiefs most to blame after playoff fate gets sealed vs. Chargers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-14T19:08:53-08:00">December 14th, 7:08pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-14T19:08:53-08:00">December 14th, 7:08pm</time><address><a href="http://hoopnut.blogspot.com/">Enzo Flojo</a>Enzo Flojo is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints and a columnist for Asian basketball at FIBA. He brings a dynamic spirit and background, having expertise that spans writing, analytics, coaching, and broadcasting. He is also currently an Assistant Coach on Scouting &amp; Analytics for the Philippine national youth basketball team.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>For the first time in more than a decade, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-patrick-mahomes-knee-injury-kansas-city-season-worse">the Kansas City Chiefs are officially watching the playoffs</a> from the outside. Sunday’s 16–13 home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers was the end of an era defined by inevitability. In a season where margins steadily shrank and mistakes quietly stacked up, the Chiefs finally ran out of escape routes. Arrowhead became the site of Kansas City’s formal elimination from postseason contention. It was a sobering moment that underscored just how far this team had drifted from its championship standard.</p><h2><b>A familiar script ends the season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Patrick-Mahomes_ad639d.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Chiefs’s loss officially eliminated them from playoff contention for the first time since 2014. Kansas City jumped out to an early 13–3 lead but failed to score again. Their offense unraveled behind a porous offensive line that surrendered five sacks. They also produced a disastrous third quarter that netted minus-four total yards.</p><p>Patrick Mahomes finished 16-of-28 for 189 yards with no touchdowns and one interception before exiting late with a leg injury. The run game offered little support as well. Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt combined for minimal production. Meanwhile, backup QB <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-gardner-minshew-brutal-interception-after-patrick-mahomes-injury-seals-playoff-fate">Gardner Minshew’s desperation-drive interception</a> to Derwin James sealed the Chargers’ comeback. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/los-angeles-chargers/chargers-news-los-angeles-first-afc-west-sweep-chiefs-2014">Los Angeles completed its first season sweep</a> of Kansas City since 2013. They rallied with timely field goals and late defensive plays to close the book on the Chiefs’ 2025 season.</p><p>Here we’ll try to look at and discuss the Kansas City Chiefs <a href="https://www.espn.ph/nfl/boxscore/_/gameId/401772798" rel="noopener">most to blame for their Week 15 loss</a> to the Chargers.</p><h2><b>Patrick Mahomes</b></h2><p>There is no escaping the truth here, even with context and compassion applied. Mahomes did not lose the season on Sunday. However, he played a decisive role in ending it.</p><p>Mahomes’ numbers by the game’s end were pedestrian by his standards. That said, the moments mattered far more than the box score. The fourth-quarter interception at the Chargers’ 1-yard line was devastating. With Kansas City driving and down 16–13, Mahomes tried to force a jump-ball to Hunt. The Chargers read it perfectly. Game flipped. Season tilted.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-patrick-mahomes-promises-come-back-stronger-suffering-torn-acl">Mahomes’ late knee injury</a> looms larger than the loss itself, of course. This is especially true with the offseason ahead. Still, this was another game where timing felt off and rhythm never developed. Mahomes appeared to be pressed in moments where patience once defined him. For a franchise quarterback who has built a career on rewriting endings, this season offered far too many final chapters written in frustration.</p><h2><b>Running backs</b></h2><p>Kansas City’s ground game has quietly vanished when it’s needed most. Against one of the league’s better defenses, the Chiefs’ running backs were overwhelmed. Pacheco Hunt, and Brashard Smith combined for just 34 yards on 19 carries. That stat line simply cannot support an offense already struggling to protect its quarterback and finish drives.</p><p>Hunt did his job in short-yardage situations late. He even converted two third downs on the Chiefs’ final possession. Outside of Mahomes’ 12-yard touchdown run, though, the ground attack offered no explosiveness, no balance, and no relief for a passing game under constant stress.</p><p>When the run game disappears, everything else becomes harder. Kansas City felt that weight all afternoon.</p><h2><b>Ground defense</b></h2><p>The Chiefs’ defense wasn’t disastrous, but it was just soft enough in the moments that mattered. Los Angeles needed control on the ground, and they got it.</p><p>Omarion Hampton emerged as the more effective option in the Chargers’ two-back rotation with Kimani Vidal. He consistently found manageable gains that kept Kansas City off balance. Even when the Chiefs appeared to have momentum, the defense couldn’t turn stops into sustained control.</p><p>This season has been filled with good-but-not-great moments defensively. Almost a sack or a stop. Against a division rival playing for its own postseason life, though, that was never going to be sufficient.</p><h2><b>Offensive line</b></h2><p>It’s impossible to discuss Kansas City’s offensive struggles without acknowledging the offensive line carousel that never stopped spinning. Injuries once again played a role. Jaylen Moore exited before halftime and was replaced by Chukwuebuka Godrick in his NFL debut.</p><p>Protection wasn’t a disaster on every snap, but it lacked cohesion. Mahomes rarely looked comfortable stepping into throws. The timing between quarterback and receivers never fully synced. When protection is unstable, decision-making speeds up. That’s when mistakes creep in.</p><p>For a team built around precision and timing, the offensive line instability became a season-long tax that finally came due.</p><h2><b>Self-inflicted wounds</b></h2><p>If there is one phrase that captures the Chiefs’ 2025 season, it’s self-inflicted wounds. The Chargers game was merely the final example. Red-zone mishaps. Turnovers at the worst times. Missed chances to put teams away. A constant need to be perfect because the margin for error had evaporated.</p><p>Kansas City wasn’t eliminated because they couldn’t execute cleanly when execution mattered most.</p><h2><b>End of a chapter, not the story</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Patrick-Mahomes-leaving.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Chiefs’ playoff fate is sealed. For the first time in years, the offseason arrives early. Questions will follow about health, depth, and whether the dynasty needs recalibration rather than renovation.</p><p>However, Sunday’s loss to the Chargers offered clarity. This was neither bad luck nor a fluke. This was a season-long pattern reaching its inevitable conclusion. The Chiefs weren’t undone by one play. They were undone by many, stacked on top of each other until belief finally cracked.</p><p>The margin disappeared, and the mistakes remained. Now, the playoffs will move on without Kansas City.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chiefs most to blame after playoff fate gets sealed vs. Chargers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-could-nbc-be-reason-kansas-city-missed-playoffs-this-year');   ga('set', 'title', 'Could NBC be the reason the Kansas City Chiefs missed the playoffs this year?');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Patrick-Mahomes_373dc6.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Could NBC be the reason the Kansas City Chiefs missed the playoffs this year?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-14T17:34:19-08:00">December 14th, 5:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-14T17:34:19-08:00">December 14th, 5:34pm</time><address><a>Allan Binoy</a>Allan Binoy is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NCAA Football, and NBA for ClutchPoints. With a deep passion for storytelling and analysis, he brings fans closer to the action by breaking down the biggest moments and storylines across the world of sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Chiefs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>For nearly a decade, the Kansas City Chiefs felt like a permanent fixture in January football. If the NFL postseason had a default setting, it was Patrick Mahomes under center with everything on the line. That’s why this season’s ending landed so strangely, not just because the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/los-angeles-chargers/chargers-news-los-angeles-first-afc-west-sweep-chiefs-2014">Chiefs missed the playoffs</a>, but because of the oddly poetic timing surrounding it.</p><p>NBC, the network that has become synonymous with the NFL’s biggest stages, has <a href="https://x.com/paulsen_smw/status/2000314089067721173?s=20" rel="noopener">quietly missed</a> every Chiefs Super Bowl run this decade. The only two Super Bowls NBC has aired since 2020, the 2022 and upcoming 2026 games, both came in seasons where Kansas City didn’t make it to the final Sunday. Coincidence? Absolutely.</p><p>The real reasons are far less mystical and far more football-related.</p><p>The Chiefs’ postseason hopes officially ended with a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-patrick-mahomes-knee-injury-kansas-city-season-worse">16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers</a>, a game that perfectly summed up their season. Kansas City struggled to finish drives, missed key opportunities late, and couldn’t lean on its usual margin for error.</p><p>Patrick Mahomes tried to keep the season afloat, but even the league’s most creative quarterback can only stretch reality so far. Kansas City’s offense lacked its usual explosiveness, and the defense spent too much time on the field in tight games that swung on a single mistake. To make things worse, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-patrick-mahomes-tore-acl-chargersweek-15">Mahomes suffered a season-ending ACL injury</a> in the Chargers game.</p><p>Chiefs fans watched another postseason play out without their team, and once again, it just so happened to line up with NBC holding the Super Bowl rights.</p><p>No, NBC didn’t knock Kansas City out of the playoff hunt. The Chargers did that. Injuries did that. A few missed throws, stalled drives, and razor-thin losses did that.</p><p>But if the Chiefs are back where they’re most comfortable next season, deep in the playoffs with Mahomes healthy, don’t be surprised if NBC finally gets its long-awaited Kansas City Super Bowl after all.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Could NBC be the reason the Kansas City Chiefs missed the playoffs this year?

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-patrick-mahomes-promises-come-back-stronger-suffering-torn-acl');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes promises to ‘come back stronger’ after suffering torn ACL');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Patrick-Mahomes_ad639d.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes promises to ‘come back stronger’ after suffering torn ACL</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-14T16:57:22-08:00">December 14th, 4:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-14T16:57:22-08:00">December 14th, 4:57pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Chiefs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Star quarterback <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-patrick-mahomes-tore-acl-chargersweek-15">Patrick Mahomes made a promise</a> to the Kansas City Chiefs community after his season-ending injury in the team’s Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday afternoon.</p><p>Mahomes suffered a torn ACL late in the fourth quarter against the Chargers with the game being close. Not only did it take him out for the rest of the game, but it will sideline him for the remainder of the 2025 NFL season.</p><p>Mahomes <a href="https://x.com/PatrickMahomes/status/2000350945725845609" rel="noopener">posted his first message on social media</a> since figuring out the extent of his injury with an MRI. He promised the community that he will come back stronger when he begins his road to recovery from the injury.</p><p>“Don’t know why this had to happen. And not going to lie it’s hurts. But all we can do now is Trust in God and attack every single day over and over again. Thank you Chiefs kingdom for always supporting me and for everyone who has reached out and sent prayers. I Will be back stronger than ever ⏰,” Mahomes said.</p><h2><b>How Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs played against Chargers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Patrick-Mahomes-2_551d08.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It is brutal news for the Chiefs to receive about Patrick Mahomes being out for the year. However, they are well aware of his incredible work ethic and will look forward to seeing him make a full recovery from the torn ACL.</p><p>Kansas City put up a strong fight against Los Angeles throughout the home contest. They led 13-10 at halftime but went silent for the entire second half as the Chargers took advantage of the hosts’ lapses.</p><p>Mahomes did all he could before going down with the ACL injury. He completed 16 passes out of 28 attempts for 189 yards and an interception while adding two rushes for 15 yards and a touchdown.</p><p>Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice were bright spots in the receiving game. Kelce led the way with seven catches for 70 yards while Rice caught seven passes for 51 yards.</p><p>Kansas City fell to a 6-8 record on the season, holding the third spot in the AFC West Division standings. They are above the Las Vegas Raiders while trailing the Chargers and Denver Broncos. In terms of the AFC standings, they sit at 11th place. They are above the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets while trailing the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens.</p><p>With Gardner Minshew filling in as the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season, the Chiefs will look to bounce back in their next matchup, being on the road. They face the Tennessee Titans on Dec. 21 at 1 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes promises to ‘come back stronger’ after suffering torn ACL

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-patrick-mahomes-tore-acl-chargersweek-15');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes tore ACL against Chargers in Week 15');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Paatrick-Mahomes-with-KC-Chiefs.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes tore ACL against Chargers in Week 15</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-14T16:30:16-08:00">December 14th, 4:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-14T16:42:50-08:00">December 14th, 4:42pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Chiefs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-gardner-minshew-brutal-interception-after-patrick-mahomes-injury-seals-playoff-fate">Kansas City Chiefs are out of contention</a> for a spot in the NFL playoffs. But it got worse for them on Sunday, as superstar <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-andy-reid-patrick-mahomes-injury-didnt-good-mri">Patrick Mahomes suffered a serious knee injury</a> during the game.</p><p>Following the 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, the Chiefs officially <a href="https://x.com/Chiefs/status/2000359212459966868" rel="noopener">announced the nature</a> of Mahomes’ lower-body injury.</p><p>“Injury Update on QB Patrick Mahomes: An MRI has confirmed that Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes sustained a torn ACL in his left knee in today’s game. Patrick and the club are currently exploring surgical options,” Kansas City wrote in a social media post on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Mahomes was trying to will the Chiefs to at least tie the score late in the fourth quarter, but instead suffered the injury as he was brought down from behind by the Chargers’ defense.</p><p>In what turned out to be Mahomes’ final game in the 2025 NFL season, the three-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player went just 16-for-28 for 189 passing yards. He did not have a passing touchdown and was intercepted once while absorbing five sacks for a loss of 21 yards, though he had a rushing score on two carries.</p><p>The Chargers’ completion of a regular-season sweep of Kansas City dropped the Chiefs to 6-8. The Chiefs are also now on a three-game losing streak, which they will attempt to end in Week 16 against the Tennessee Titans on the road at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.</p><p>With Mahomes done for the rest of the season, Kansas City will get the ball to Minshew Gardner, who takes over as the team’s QB1.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes tore ACL against Chargers in Week 15

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/los-angeles-chargers/chargers-news-los-angeles-first-afc-west-sweep-chiefs-2014');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chargers become first AFC West team to sweep Chiefs since 2014');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Jim-Harbaugh-and-Andy-Reid.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Chargers become first AFC West team to sweep Chiefs since 2014</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-14T16:18:03-08:00">December 14th, 4:18pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-14T16:18:03-08:00">December 14th, 4:18pm</time><address><a>Jaren Kawada</a>Jaren Kawada is a former full-time sports bettor and is now a NFL, College Football and Betting Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. Kawada was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, but now resides in Indianapolis, Indiana, after graduating from Butler University with a B.A. in sports media. Aside from football, Kawada is an avid combat sports and basketball bettor.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Chiefs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Chargers have not yet clinched a playoff berth, but they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-gardner-minshew-brutal-interception-after-patrick-mahomes-injury-seals-playoff-fate">eliminated the Kansas City Chiefs from the postseason</a> with a 16-13 win in Week 15. In doing so, they achieved a feat not seen in over a decade.</p><p>While the Chargers remain two games behind the league-leading Denver Broncos, their win makes them 2-0 over the Chiefs in 2025. That makes them the <a href="https://x.com/JoshDubowAP/status/2000313652554105069" rel="noopener">first team in the AFC West</a> to sweep the season series against Kansas City since 2014, per Josh Dubow of The Associated Press.</p><p>The 10-year streak has been active since Andy Reid’s third year with the team. It has also lasted the duration of Patrick Mahomes’ career, with the two-time MVP joining the team in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.</p><p>The Peyton Manning-led Broncos were the last team to win two regular season games against the Chiefs. That Denver team ended the year with a 12-4 record and an NFC West title, but suffered a first-round playoff exit with a loss to the Indianapolis Colts in the Divisional Round.</p><p>The Chargers have not accomplished the feat since 2013, when they won a pair of three-point games over the Chiefs. Before beating Kansas City in Week 1, they had not even won a game in the series since the 2021 season.</p><p>After years of dominating the league, the Chiefs now miss the playoffs for the first time since the aforementioned 2014 season. Kansas City entered the 2025 season off three consecutive Super Bowl appearances and three championships in the last six years.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-patrick-mahomes-knee-injury-kansas-city-season-worse">Chiefs’ biggest concern is now Mahomes’ knee injury</a>, which he sustained late in the loss. Mahomes went down on Kansas City’s final drive of the game and will undergo an MRI in the coming days. With three games remaining in a lost year, his season is likely over regardless.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chargers become first AFC West team to sweep Chiefs since 2014

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-andy-reid-patrick-mahomes-injury-didnt-good-mri');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chiefs’ Andy Reid admits Patrick Mahomes injury ‘didn’t look good’ before MRI');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Houstons-defense-scrambles-Patrick-Mahomes.jpg"><figcaption>Denny Medley-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Chiefs’ Andy Reid admits Patrick Mahomes injury ‘didn’t look good’ before MRI</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-14T13:54:39-08:00">December 14th, 1:54pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-14T14:22:59-08:00">December 14th, 2:22pm</time><address><a>Jaren Kawada</a>Jaren Kawada is a former full-time sports bettor and is now a NFL, College Football and Betting Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. Kawada was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, but now resides in Indianapolis, Indiana, after graduating from Butler University with a B.A. in sports media. Aside from football, Kawada is an avid combat sports and basketball bettor.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Chiefs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-patrick-mahomes-knee-injury-kansas-city-season-worse">Kansas City Chiefs are officially eliminated</a> from the 2025 NFL Playoffs. To make the situation even worse, Patrick Mahomes suffered a seemingly significant knee injury in the team’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, which head coach Andy Reid is admittedly concerned about.</p><p>Mahomes will require an MRI, which has yet to be scheduled. However, Reid <a href="https://x.com/RapSheet/status/2000320275892908314" rel="noopener">noted after the game</a> that the injury “didn’t look good” at first glance, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.</p><p>Considering the Chiefs’ season is unofficially over, Mahomes might have played his final snap of 2025. Kansas City fell to 6-8 with the defeat.</p><p>Mahomes suffered the injury late in the fourth quarter and was immediately replaced by Gardner Minshew, who finished the game. Minshew closed out the Chiefs’ final drive, which ended with a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-gardner-minshew-brutal-interception-after-patrick-mahomes-injury-seals-playoff-fate">game-losing interception</a>.</p><p>The injury occurred as Mahomes rolled out to his right side. The quarterback was tackled by the ankles after releasing the ball, causing his left knee to bend awkwardly. Mahomes was down on the field for several minutes before limping off with the help of the medical staff.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Patrick Mahomes injured and it doesn't look good…<a href="https://t.co/QuAkmWIKQ5">https://t.co/QuAkmWIKQ5</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chiefs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chiefs</a> QB was down in pain after this play… <a href="https://t.co/5lQ1Ueh8gs">pic.twitter.com/5lQ1Ueh8gs</a></p><p>— Inside Injuries (@InsideInjuries) <a href="https://twitter.com/InsideInjuries/status/2000314159888834791?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Mahomes has a long history with ankle injuries, but he has never before suffered a major injury in his NFL career. He narrowly avoided a major injury when he dislocated his patella in 2019, which only ended up costing him two games.</p><p>The initial fear among fans is a torn ACL, which would officially end Mahomes’ season. Nothing is official, but the Chiefs will likely work with Minshew in Week 16, regardless of the diagnosis.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chiefs’ Andy Reid admits Patrick Mahomes injury ‘didn’t look good’ before MRI

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-gardner-minshew-brutal-interception-after-patrick-mahomes-injury-seals-playoff-fate');   ga('set', 'title', 'Gardner Minshew’s brutal interception after Patrick Mahomes injury seals Chiefs’ playoff fate');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Patrick-Mahomes-leaving.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Gardner Minshew’s brutal interception after Patrick Mahomes injury seals Chiefs’ playoff fate</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-14T13:54:34-08:00">December 14th, 1:54pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-14T13:56:22-08:00">December 14th, 1:56pm</time><address><a>Lorenzo J Reyna</a>Lorenzo J Reyna is an Associate Editor covering the NFL and NCAA Football for ClutchPoints. He's equipped with past experience for both realms through his recent stops at Pro Football Network and Heavy while also writing for 247Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Chiefs</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Kansas City Chiefs watched their season implode at the two-minute mark once Patrick Mahomes left. Gardner Minshew put it out of misery against the Los Angeles Chargers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/chiefs-news-patrick-mahomes-knee-injury-kansas-city-season-worse">once Mahomes walked off the field.</a></p><p>Minshew stepped in to salvage any hope of a playoff spot for the three-time AFC champs. Except Derwin James stuck the dagger in by picking off this errant throw.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">A phrase that hasn't been uttered since 2014, and has been unthinkable in the Patrick Mahomes era: The Chiefs have missed the playoffs.<a href="https://t.co/iV2bvdXrOy">pic.twitter.com/iV2bvdXrOy</a></p><p>— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/2000313898302595481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Kansas City <a href="https://x.com/TomPelissero/status/2000314219221393555?s=20" rel="noopener">watched multiple streaks go up in smoke</a> in the process after taking the rough 16-13 home loss to the Chargers.</p><h2>Notable streaks snapped sparks reactions after Chiefs loss</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Paatrick-Mahomes-with-KC-Chiefs.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Chiefs broke the internet and not in a good way.</p><p>K.C’s streak of 12 consecutive playoff seasons have snapped — even beginning when Mahomes was in college. But in the era of Mahomes, Kansas City never missed the postseason. Mahomes’ NFL injury likely would’ve jeopardized his status after Week 18 even if K.C. won.</p><p>The franchise received a mix of praise and ridicule — with Amazon Prime analyst Richard Sherman <a href="https://x.com/RSherman_25/status/2000314692108235204?s=20" rel="noopener">choosing the former.</a></p><p>“Chiefs eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons. That’s a incredible run. To go to the SB 5 of the last 6 seasons is incredible. So many teams struggle to find motivation and consistency after a SB win or loss and for them to sustain the way they have for this long should be respected,” Sherman posted on the social media website X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>NFL Memes, however, trolled the franchise.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Chiefs have been eliminated from playoff contention <a href="https://t.co/adfqMjOzkH">pic.twitter.com/adfqMjOzkH</a></p><p>— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL_Memes/status/2000314236384481449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The fan account Chiefs Blitz <a href="https://x.com/ChiefsBlitz/status/2000309763691954586?s=20" rel="noopener">was more harsh online</a>, demanding Andy Reid should clean house.</p><p>Chargers versus Chiefs carried lots of emotions — <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/los-angeles-chargers/chargers-news-tony-jefferson-flips-off-chiefs-crowd-ejection-big-hit-tyquan-thornton">including Tony Jefferson flipping off the crowd</a>. But L.A. sweeps K.C. for the first time since 2013, Reid’s first season there.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025 SEASON STATS
RECEPTIONS	RECEIVING YDS	TOUCHDOWNS	POSITION RANK
0	0	0	-

2025 SEASON STATS
RECEPTIONS	RECEIVING YDS	TOUCHDOWNS	POSITION RANK
0	0	0	-

Jalen
Royals

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Jalen Royals

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Jalen
Royals