The NFL playoffs are approaching fast as the regular season winds down. Teams are jockeying for spots in the last weeks. Every game now matters.

Kansas City Chiefs’ season hangs by a thread. The Chiefs sit 6-7 after a tough loss to Houston. Their nine-year AFC West run ended with that defeat. A loss to the Chargers on Sunday could end their playoff hopes if several other AFC results go against them. The simplest scenario is Chargers beat Kansas City, Bills beat the Patriots, Jaguars beat the Jets and Texans beat the Cardinals. That combination would mathematically eliminate the Chiefs.

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Even if they win out, Kansas City needs help from other teams. The Athletic gives them only a 12 percent chance of making the postseason. That’s a long shot. Fans and analysts now discuss whether an early elimination might protect Patrick Mahomes’ health for 2026.

Mahomes has been scrambling a lot. He leads the NFL in scrambles. His scramble rate is around nine percent this season, near a career high. That spike often shows when he loses trust in his offense. Sunday’s 20-10 loss featured a battered offensive line and receivers who dropped passes. Mahomes went 14-of-33 for 160 yards and threw three interceptions.

The playcalling and protection looked poor. On one crucial fourth-and-1 play, Reid went for it from his own 31 with the game tied. The pass to Rashee Rice fell incomplete. Reid remains defiant. “Listen, it’s never over. You keep battling,” he said.

For now, the Chiefs must win Sunday to stay alive. If they fail, the clock could stop on their playoff run. Either way, Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City face a frightening stretch as the regular season heads into its final weeks. The team’s future looks uncertain, not hopeless.

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