For the first time in more than a decade, the Kansas City Chiefs are officially watching the playoffs 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.
A familiar script ends the season
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.
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 Gardner Minshew’s desperation-drive interception to Derwin James sealed the Chargers’ comeback. Los Angeles completed its first season sweep of Kansas City since 2013. They rallied with timely field goals and late defensive plays to close the book on the Chiefs’ 2025 season.
Here we'll try to look at and discuss the Kansas City Chiefs most to blame for their Week 15 loss to the Chargers.
Patrick Mahomes
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.
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.
Mahomes’ late knee injury 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.
Running backs
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.
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.
When the run game disappears, everything else becomes harder. Kansas City felt that weight all afternoon.
Ground defense
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.
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.
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.
Offensive line
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.
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.
For a team built around precision and timing, the offensive line instability became a season-long tax that finally came due.
Self-inflicted wounds
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.
Kansas City wasn’t eliminated because they couldn’t execute cleanly when execution mattered most.
End of a chapter, not the story
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.
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.
The margin disappeared, and the mistakes remained. Now, the playoffs will move on without Kansas City.
