The Kansas City Chiefs have had quite the banner year in the 2025 NFL season. They started the campaign off on a three-game losing streak, which started with their 40-22 blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX.
Between Rashee Rice’s suspension and Xavier Worthy’s dislocated shoulder, the Chiefs just didn’t have the offensive firepower necessary to come out of the gate with a vengeance, even with Patrick Mahomes playing at an MVP level.
Things were supposed to turn around when Rice and Worthy returned, though. They did for a little bit. When Worthy came back from his injury in Week 4, the Chiefs won two of their three games, staying afloat while they waited for Rice’s suspension to be lifted. Then, when they had both of their top wideouts back in the lineup, they rattled off two straight dominant victories over the Las Vegas Raiders and the Washington Commanders, reclaiming their place among the top contenders.
Jan 18, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) reacts during the fourth quarter of a 2025 AFC divisional round game against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Chiefs have no more slack to give
Unfortunately, the Kansas City Chiefs didn’t stay in the upper echelon for very long. After that mini winning streak, they then dropped two games in a row against the Buffalo Bills and the Denver Broncos. They rebounded from that stretch with a critical victory over the Indianapolis Colts, but fell to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving. That latest loss completely wiped out their remaining margin for error.
Everyone kept expecting the Chiefs to start running the table and climb back up into the pantheon of contenders, but they just kept suffering brutal setbacks. Now, Kansas City has practically no choice but to win out. Going undefeated from this point on would only get them to 11 wins, which should be enough for a postseason bid. 10 wins would be dicey, considering they’ve already lost to several of the other Wild Card hopefuls (Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers).
One last one for today, and I’m shocked we’re here.
Excluding ties, there are 4,096 combinations left in the AFC West.
Broncos win 3,257 of them
Chargers win 812
Chiefs win the other 27
Here they are!
(LAC and DEN are must-win games now) pic.twitter.com/V14NcGi636
— Bryan Knowles (@BryKno) December 1, 2025
In Week 14, they get the chance to get a head-to-head victory against one of them, though. They host the surging 7-5 Houston Texans. This is as much of a must-win for both teams as it can get at this point in a season.
The Texans have a tiny bit more wiggle room than the Chiefs, but the loser of this matchup could be waving goodbye to their postseason hopes. Kansas City is slightly favored, laying 3.5 points on the spread and listed at -180 on the moneyline by FanDuel. The Chiefs have the better offense, but the Texans are far superior on the other side of the ball. The over/under is currently at 41.5 points.
Betting odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
To see the Chiefs’ odds in each game for the remainder of the season, sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news. Â SIGN UP HERE NOW.
Chiefs Kingdom, OnSI welcomes you to the Internet’s No. 1 destination for in-depth info, always free; the best way to get it is to follow @KCChiefsOnSI, @ZakSGilbert and @Domminchella on X (Twitter). And join the conversation by visiting our Facebook page (here).