The Kansas City Chiefs have a difficult path to the playoffs even if they win out the remainder of the schedule and currently have just an 11.4 percent chance of squeaking into the postseason.

The Chiefs need so much help from other teams to even have a chance of getting in, but they have to take care of their own business and control what they can control.

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The offense needs to be able to feature a sound running game or else it’s going to be a lot easier to stop star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the passing game. Mahomes has arguably been the team’s best rusher, and while that strength is helpful when the team isn’t moving the ball, focusing too much on scrambling will hurt the team’s chances of winning.

The Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers squared off to kick off the season in Brazil, which resulted in a 27-21 victory in favor of the Chargers. This was the first of six one-score losses for Kansas City and jumpstarted what has been a problem all season long.

Kansas City’s defense couldn’t contain Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert in the first meeting, as Herbert threw for 318 yards and three touchdowns along with 32 rushing yards on seven carries. Herbert may not have the same success he had due to his fractured non-throwing hand, but he played through it against the Philadelphia Eagles and doesn’t carry an injury designation into this game.

The Chiefs’ defensive unit will need to watch out for slot receiver Ladd McConkey, Herbert’s top receiver who does a lot of damage across the middle of the field. He caught six passes for 74 yards and will be a threat in this game.

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“Kansas City’s pass defense has been solid in 2025, ranking 14th in success rate allowed (44%) and EPA allowed per play (0.15) on dropbacks,” ESPN’s Seth Walder wrote Saturday. “But crossing routes against them cause those numbers to skyrocket to 63% (fourth worst) and 0.51 (second worst), respectively. Chiefs opponents are averaging 2.9 receiving yards per play on crossing routes, second most.

“So, who is most likely to benefit from this? Wide receiver Ladd McConkey, who leads the Chargers by running crossing routes 16% of the time. McConkey also caught six passes for 74 yards against the Chiefs in Week 1.”

This game is an absolute must win for Kansas City to have any sort of chance at the playoffs moving forward.