5 things to know about the Dallas Cowboys’ Week 13 opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs (6–5) head to AT&T Stadium on Thanksgiving Day to take on the Dallas Cowboys (5–5–1). For the visiting team, the mission is clear: stay in the playoff hunt and fix what has been a troubling season away from home.

Despite appearing in five of the last six Super Bowls and winning three, this year has been unusually bumpy for Andy Reid’s team.

Here are five things to know about the Cowboys’ Week 13 opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs:

Unfamiliar territory

Cowboys

The Chiefs haven’t started 6–5 since 2015, a season they salvaged with a five-game winning streak to finish 11–5. Since Andy Reid took over in 2013, his worst record has been 9–7 in 2014, the only time Kansas City missed the postseason under his leadership. That makes this year’s uneven start stand out even more.

Kansas City has struggled mightily away from Arrowhead. In five road games, they’ve managed just one win, back in Week 3 against the New York Giants. Losses to the Chargers, Jaguars, Bills, and Broncos have exposed their vulnerability outside of Kansas City. Only the Cleveland Browns (1–5) own a worse road record in the AFC, while four other teams (Miami, the NY Jets, Cincinnati, Tennessee, and Las Vegas) share the same 1–4 mark.

Odds and series history

The Kansas City Chiefs enter the game as 3.5‑point favorites, with the over/under set at 47.5. The Dallas Cowboys hold a 7–5 edge in the all‑time series against Kansas City.

Four most recent matchups

Dak Prescott and Patrick Mahomes have only faced off one time, in 2021. Here are the results from the last four times these teams have met:

2021: Chiefs 19, Cowboys 9

2017: Cowboys 28, Chiefs 17

2013: Chiefs 17, Cowboys 16

2009: Cowboys 26, Chiefs 20 (OT)

According to 10,000 simulations by Dimers’ NFL model, the Chiefs have a 68% chance of winning, with a projected final score of 26–21.

Fantasy spotlight: Travis Kelce is a future Hall of Famer, but his days as an elite fantasy tight end may be over. Kelce’s targets and receptions actually increased from 2023 to 2024, but he saw a significant dip in yards (823), TDs (three), yards per target (6.1) and RAC (3.5), all of which were career lows. At 35, Kelce still benefits from Mahomes and the Chiefs’ high‑volume passing attack, but he’s now best viewed as a mid‑tier fantasy option.

How Mahomes and Prescott compare

Mahomes has defined the NFL in recent years, capturing three Super Bowl titles and cementing the Chiefs as a modern dynasty. Yet in 2025, the Kansas City star and Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott are charting remarkably similar paths, with nearly identical production and both carrying the weight of their teams’ playoff hopes.

Here’s how the two compare in 2025:

CategoryMahomesPrescottPassing yards2,9772,941Touchdowns1823Interceptions77Completion %64.4%69.3%Passer rating93.8102.6Sacks taken2417Rushing yards318126Rushing TDs42

Mahomes’ style, ability to extend plays, and chemistry with Travis Kelce remain the backbone of the Chiefs’ offense. Even in a season where the team has struggled on the road, Mahomes’ run and pass ability keeps defenses off balance.

Iron defense

The Chiefs’ defense continues to stand among the NFL’s elite, ranking sixth in total yards allowed with 3,223. Kansas City has surrendered only 11 touchdowns all season, the second‑best mark in the league behind Houston and the Chargers (10). Their balance has been evident both through the air and on the ground, sitting 11th in pass defense with 2,149 yards allowed and ninth against the run with 1,074 yards conceded.

At the center of this unit is linebacker Nick Bolton, the heartbeat of the defense and the team’s leading tackler with 98 stops. On the edge, George Karlaftis has emerged as their most consistent pass‑rusher, pacing the team with five sacks. Together, they anchor a group that has excelled at limiting opportunities, ranking third in the NFL in fewest first downs allowed with just 180 surrendered. Kansas City’s defense has proven tough inside the red zone, allowing just 17 touchdowns to opponents who reached that territory. That ranks as the sixth‑best mark in the NFL.

Resilient Mahomes

In a season defined by highs and lows, Mahomes has managed to orchestrate one of the league’s most dangerous attacks. The Chiefs have piled up 4,136 total yards, making them the seventh‑most productive offense in the NFL. Through the air, Kansas City sits ninth with 2,835 passing yards, though the ground game has lagged, producing just 1,301 rushing yards to rank 15th.

Running back Kareem Hunt has been the most reliable option on the ground, tallying 457 yards on 116 carries at an average of 3.9 yards per attempt.

In the passing game, Mahomes continues to lean on his trusted connection with Kelce, who has hauled in 54 receptions for 634 yards, while Hollywood Brown has emerged as the most efficient wideout with 439 yards on 39 catches. Both Kelce and Brown have found the end zone four times, giving Mahomes dependable targets in critical moments. Individually, Mahomes remains near the top of the league, ranking second among all passers with 2,977 yards, trailing only Patriots rookie Drake Maye’s 3,130. He has completed 262 of 407 attempts, underscoring his resilience and consistency even as the Chiefs navigate an uneven season.

10 things to know about Patrick Mahomes, the 3-time Super Bowl champion out of Texas Tech