It’s the first time in a decade that the Kansas City Chiefs won’t be on the postseason schedule. Sure, a losing season doesn’t define a dynasty like the Chiefs, but it might prove costly for the NFL, which is on track for its best viewership since 1989. Word around the town is that the absence of a superstar quarterback like Patrick Mahomes could put a dent in the league’s vision for 2025. Joe Buck just put the fear in the right words. 

Reminiscing about the magic of Arrowhead Stadium, the veteran ESPN broadcaster shared an honest realization. This postseason will lack the roar of a crowd like Chiefs Kingdom. 

“Going to Arrowhead is my favorite place to go,” said Buck via SI Media. “The atmosphere in that stadium, I’ll miss it. They are as strong a brand as any in the NFL. It will be a little bit of a hit that they are not in there, ratings-wise.”

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It goes beyond the Arrowhead Stadium magic. Much of the NFL viewership comes from the star quarterbacks. In the past, they’ve been the legendary Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, and Ben Roethlisberger. Since Mahomes took over the reins of the Chiefs, leading them to three Super Bowl wins, five Super Bowl appearances, and consecutive AFC West titles in his eight years, he has made himself the face of the NFL and Kansas City, America’s team. 

Except for Rodgers, all the elites in that list have retired, and Rodgers, too, isn’t in his prime anymore. This leaves just Mahomes, who hasn’t given a reason to complain for the past eight Januarys. But things are different now, and might we remind you, the reason the NFL remains the utmost favorite of Americans is because of these star quarterbacks. In fact, six of the ten most-watched games of the league have been Kansas City’s. 

When Manning retired in 2016, Front Office Sports reported a sharp dip in the NFL ratings. It took years of strategic pushes like prime-time scheduling and rule tweaks to claw back those numbers. Even then, Brady was there, and if not, then Mahomes, keeping Americans hooked. But for the first time since 1998, the 2025 postseason will feature none of the Big Three: no Manning, no Brady, and no Mahomes. 

The most upsetting news is that Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals are still appealing to the viewers (if not in Mahomes and Brady’s stature). They are also not headed to the playoffs, with the Cowboys sitting at 6-8 and the Bengals at 4-10. Sure, there is going to be Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson (not entirely certain), reigning Super Bowl champ Jalen Hurts, and even Rodgers, but it’s not the same in terms of crowd pleasers. Perhaps the NFL should have been rooting for the Chiefs. 

What went wrong with the Chiefs in Week 15?

Week 15 marked the end of an era for the Chiefs Kingdom. Or, in the words of offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, it was a feeling he would “never forget for the rest of [his] life.” While the whole season went odd for them, the game against the Los Angeles Chargers took them down the wrong path. One of the things that felt off was not being able to win the tight games like in 2024. They lost seven such games, in contrast to the 11 they won last winter. 

While the defense handled things, the offense made the wrong choices. The game started off well, with the Chiefs recording a touchdown. Mahomes still got the offense past midfield and was even eyeing a game-tying field goal. Even though it didn’t work out, there was hope that the elite quarterback could handle things for another quarter. However, that hope was brutally shattered with Mahomes’ knee injury after being tackled by Chargers defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand. 

He was replaced by backup Gardner Minshew, who salvaged a first-and-20 into a fresh set of downs, only to gift Derwin James Jr. a crushing interception that closed the playoff window for Kansas City. Though it was Mahomes’ exit that buried the season, the passing game and receiving corps were broken, compromising the entire offense.