The Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Dallas Cowboys, 31-28, on Thanksgiving Day. They are now 6-6, in serious danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era. With the season on the line, Kansas City lost its sixth one-possession game of the season and is facing an uphill climb in December. Who is most to blame for the Chiefs' three-point loss to the Cowboys on Thanksgiving?
It was a back-and-forth game in Dallas, featuring 25 fourth-quarter points and one punt, which came from Kansas City. The Cowboys' offense was dominant late in the game, running the final 3:27 off the clock without giving the ball back to Mahomes. Despite their unlikely climb to a postseason berth, Dallas has given itself a great chance with two big home wins.
The Chiefs have run out of slack and needed a big win to get back on track. But they did not get it, so who is to blame?
The Chiefs' defense cannot get a stop
The Chiefs' offense has been under the microscope this season with good reason. Without Rashee Rice for the first six games, Mahomes was limited, and they could not pull out one-possession games. But once he returned, the offense started clicking and overlapped with a solid defense for a few big wins. But on Sunday, the defense could not get a stop when they needed it most.
The defense started the game with a Jaylen Watson interception of Dak Prescott. After that, they did not force a turnover and forced just one punt, allowing 31 points in eight drives. If the defense had gotten just one more stop than they did, Mahomes would have done enough to win this game. Instead, they went the entire game without a sack. But they could not do it, which is a story all too familiar to Kansas City.
George Pickens caught five of seven targets for 85 yards when covered by Jaylen Watson, who played press coverage on every target.
Watson allowed the most yards any Chiefs defender has allowed to a single wide receiver in a game since at least 2018.#KCvsDAL | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/KljAZBTFwZ
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 28, 2025
The Chiefs have had plenty of games this year in which one drive in their favor could have flipped the script. They have not gotten it this year outside of their Week 12 win over the Indianapolis Colts. But in front of a massive audience, the defense crumbled.
The running game abandons Mahomes again
The Chiefs got Isiah Pacheco back from injury in this game, but gave him just five touches for 33 yards on Thursday. Kareem Hunt, however, ran the ball 14 times for just 58 yards. He did take his one reception for 22 yards, but that has not been something they can count on. Mahomes is a quarterback who can win games on his own, but even he cannot get over this dreadful running game.
The Pacheco-Hunt duo was enough last season, but if Pacheco is still nursing his injury, that is not going to be enough this year. Brashard Smith has shown some pop in his rookie season, but not enough to be the featured back down the stretch. The Cowboys' rushing defense has gotten better since the Quinnen Williams trade, but this is a problem beyond just this loss.
Untimely punt loses shootout for the Chiefs
Mahomes and the Chiefs' offense got the ball back with 11:15 to go down 28-21. They started the possession at the 39-yard line, made it just two yards, ran only 1:49 off the clock, and punted. It is hard to blame the offense for this loss, considering the number of points they scored. But the fourth-quarter punt all but sealed the game for the Cowboys, as they responded with a Brandon Aubrey field goal.
The AFC West title streak is all but gone for the Chiefs. They have to sneak into the Wild Card just to get into the dance, let alone make their fourth consecutive Super Bowl. Despite the win over the Colts on Sunday, Kansas City could not take the momentum into its biggest game of the season. Winning out may be the only way for them to play in January.
