The Kansas City Chiefs' season ended when Patrick Mahomes was lost for the season in Week 15 and the team sure played like it in their Week 16 loss to Tennessee. The Titans had won just two games entering this week and they had no problems against a Mahomes-less Kansas City team.
The silver lining is that, with another loss for the Chiefs, there's a realistic chance that Kansas City lands a top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Chiefs have two games remaining on their schedule and with Chris Oladokun potenially being their starting quarterback for both of those games, the odds of winning aren't high.
Where would the Chiefs pick in the first round of 2026 NFL Draft?
Number | Team | Record | Strength of Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | New York Giants | 2-13 | .530 |
2 | Las Vegas Raiders | 2-13 | .545 |
3 | Cleveland Browns | 3-12 | .490 |
4 | New York Jets | 3-12 | .539 |
5 | Arizona Cardinals | 3-12 | .575 |
6 | Tennessee Titans | 3-12 | .575 |
7 | Washington Commanders | 4-11 | .500 |
8 | New Orleans Saints | 5-10 | .496 |
9 | Cincinnati Bengals | 5-10 | .516 |
10 | Miami Dolphins | 6-9 | .492 |
11 | Los Angeles Rams (via Atlanta Falcons) | 6-9 | .502 |
12 | Kansas City Chiefs | 6-9 | .514 |
13 | Dallas Cowboys | 6-8-1 | .441 |
14 | Baltimore Ravens | 7-8 | .504 |
15 | Minnesota Vikings | 7-8 | .520 |
16 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7-8 | .528 |
17 | Detroit Lions | 8-7 | .492 |
18 | New York Jets (via Indianapolis Colts) | 8-6* | .535 |
The Chiefs would be picking 12th overall if the draft was held at this very moment so they're not in the top 10 quite yet. That being said, there's a good chance they can get in that upper echelon of draft picks in their final two games.
The Chiefs finish the season against the Broncos and the Raiders. They're likely going to get stomped on by the Broncos on Christmas night, so that will get them another loss and a better draft spot. The funny thing about Week 18 is that the Raiders could very well be playing for the number one pick in the 2026 draft so Vegas fans will be rooting for the Chiefs to beat them.
Meanwhile, Chiefs fans will continue to root for a better draft pick because this team won't be in this position very often. The last time the Chiefs earned a top-10 pick was when they went 2-12 in 2012 and that was before Andy Reid came to town. They drafted 10th overall in 2017 but that was because they traded up to take Patrick Mahomes.
So, again, this is rare for this franchise in the Reid/Mahomes era and that's why it's okay for the fans to lean into the "tank for a better pick" angle. We won't get many opportunities for this to happen and with that top 10 pick, the Chiefs can add a playmaker who can help them get back to their Super Bowl status right away.