Week 15 ended like a gut punch for the Kansas City Chiefs. They were officially eliminated from playoff contention, and to make matters worse, Patrick Mahomes was ruled out for the remainder of the season. Week 16 against the Tennessee Titans hasn’t offered much relief either, with the offensive struggles showing up almost immediately.

Coming in, no one expected a shootout. Still, the way Kansas City surrendered points was hard to stomach. In the second quarter, the Chiefs’ offensive line allowed a safety that prompted guards Trey Smith and center Creed Humphrey to light into their linemates on the CBS broadcast. The message was blunt and emotional, reportedly: “Wake the f**k up.”

The moment came early in the second quarter when Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons blew through the line and dropped Kareem Hunt in the end zone for a safety. First-and-11 quickly turned disastrous. Hunt had nowhere to go, Simmons wrapped him up instantly, and Tennessee jumped out to a 2–0 lead without even needing the offense.

Fast forward to the third quarter, and the Titans are up 16–9 with less than a minute left. At that point, it already feels like another long night is brewing for Kansas City. And it’s not just the offensive line anymore. Between playoff elimination and Mahomes’ season-ending injury, the problems keep stacking up. In the middle of it all, the Chiefs have also lost their backup quarterback to an injury.

Gardner Minshew is questionable to return vs. the Titans

Quarterback was never supposed to be a problem for the Chiefs. And yet, with just three weeks left in the regular season, that’s exactly where things have landed. First, Mahomes went down against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15 after tearing multiple ligaments in his knee, including the ACL. Just like that, the season changed.

Enter Gardner Minshew, who was expected to steady the ship against the Titans on Sunday. To his credit, Minshew did step in. But the bad luck didn’t stop there. In the process of trying to keep the offense afloat, he went down as well, suffering a left knee injury and becoming questionable to return. The moment unfolded early. On the Chiefs’ opening drive of the first quarter, Minshew took a hard hit and was later seen favoring his right leg while still attempting to push through.

Trainers examined his left knee before he eventually walked to the locker room with 9:33 remaining in the second quarter, notably without assistance. At the time of the injury, Minshew had completed 3-of-8 passes for just 15 yards, with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Not much production. But also, not enough time to settle in.

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That’s when third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun was forced into action and took over the offense. And with that, the picture became painfully clear. The Chiefs are officially out of the playoff race for the first time in years. And when you zoom out, it’s hard to argue otherwise that this is a season that went horribly wrong.