A loss to the L.A. Chargers in Week 15 was going to be a crushing affair, no matter what. Sunday’s 16–13 loss was obviously different, and somehow much worse than the worst-case scenario we had all at least considered after the team’s on-again, off-again relationship with sound football throughout the course of 2025. For the first time in nine years, the Chiefs are not AFC West champions. For the first time in 11 years, Kansas City is not prepping for a Chiefs postseason run. For the first time in 12 years, we don’t know if we’ll see Travis Kelce on the field next season. Not to mention the ACL tear heard ’round the Kingdom.
Yes, things are different right now. Bad, if you will. Best-case scenario, you could classify the current Chiefs situation as “changing,” and change is definitely scary. The biggest change will be a long offseason, but wrapped in that will be a lot of moving parts: coaching staff moves, roster decisions, planning for a higher draft pick than usual, among other considerations. That has naturally been where everyone’s attention has turned in the last 24 hours: How do the Chiefs fix this long-term so that we don’t experience this again? How is the dynasty revived?
What about this week? The Chiefs do still, fortunately or unfortunately depending on your lens, have three games left on the schedule in 2025. Barring forfeiture by Andy Reid—something I am doubtful of, personally—these games will be played. “But who cares, the season is over!” many of you would interject. Sure, that’s not necessarily untrue from a championship-aspiration standpoint, an ambition the team and fanbase are now wholly accustomed to. But 9–8 and 6–11 are two very different outcomes.
On the one hand, the team could find itself squarely in the top 10 picks of April’s draft if it didn’t win any of its remaining three games, which would put it in a position to draft a difference-maker at a couple of different positions of need (edge, DT, or RB). On the other hand, 9–8 would likely land them smack dab in the middle of the first round and put them in a “best available” mindset on draft day. But let’s not forget something: it is December, not April, and there are players on this team now who will be fighting for their lives to make sure they are a part of what happens with this organization on the field moving forward.
Kansas City’s final three games carry real stakes for draft position, roster decisions, and the future of the franchise.
The Chiefs are not going to lie down and let the Titans, Broncos, and Raiders walk all over them because Patrick Mahomes is not under center. I will spare the insights on who may see more snaps and who may not, based on which players will logically be with the team in 2026 and who will likely be shown the door. But there are plenty of young guys on this roster who have been hungry for playing time in 2025 and have not seen it for one reason or another, who have something to prove.
The Chiefs are essentially working with two preseason slates, given how the 2025 slate has gone. They have three games to end 2025 that will be largely auditions for young players, and those who end up making a name for themselves and are around after camp will have the same ability to cement their spots in the actual 2026 preseason. We’ve all seen games in the past at the end of the year where the stars rest and young guys get a chance to play when playoff seeds or divisional championships are locked. This is just the other end of the spectrum. The Chiefs who will play have a lot to play for, even if the result isn’t a trophy ceremony.
Having said that, the thought of young guys having a chance to show what they’re made of brings about questions at the other end of the Chiefs roster: the veterans. The guys who have been in Kansas City throughout the dynastic run are, without question, gassed at this point. Have we seen the last of Travis Kelce, or does he try to go all out for three more games because he knows this is his last season in the red and gold? Chris Jones went out momentarily with a hamstring issue on Sunday against the Chargers—do we see him end up on an injury report rather than dressed out with his teammates?
That remains to be seen. If Kelce is even remotely considering coming back next season, it would be best for him to limit his snaps. What good would it do for him to experience a similar outcome to Mahomes? Jones will presumably be back barring any unforeseen roster moves in the offseason. Why not take advantage of the extra time off and get back to 100 percent for another run at greatness in 2026? The vets on the roster should be given the opportunity to look at this as a hard reset, while the young guys should see it as an opportunity to step up and earn a starting spot over a more extended period of time than is typically granted.
It’s important to be able to turn negative things into positives. Does it suck that the Chiefs are not going to be competing in the playoffs this year? Of course, more so when you add the Mahomes injury to the equation. But in failure lies opportunity. There are real, impactful snaps to be had for young players to show what they’re made of, and a lot of time for guys who will be back in the fold once again to heal up any lingering physical or mental wounds they may have acquired during the team’s 6–8 start. Andy Reid and the coaches who will be back in 2026 should take this opportunity to evaluate every aspect of the organization, with the most important piece being the players they elect to make a part of this organization moving forward.