The Kansas City Chiefs might’ve pushed their playoff chances to the edge with last week’s self-inflicted, drop-heavy loss to the Houston Texans. Patrick Mahomes threw three interceptions, and while not all were on him, the steady stream of drops from his receivers didn’t help. Veteran wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster had a message for the room afterward.

“Shake it off next play, move on. Not every play is going to go your way… In those situations my advice to those guys is to move on… We’re going to keep coming back to you… They handled it very well… Getting extra catches on the JUG machines and getting extra work with Pat as well,” Schuster said about the drops.

A lot went sideways for Kansas City, but the drops stood out. Travis Kelce had a rough night. Down seven with under five minutes left, Mahomes twice turned to the player he trusts most. Both passes hit Kelce. Neither stuck. The second miscue was the one that broke their back.

Kelce couldn’t secure a seam throw, bobbled it, and it floated long enough for Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair to snag it. Houston took over at the Chiefs’ 26 with 3:40 remaining, still up 17–10, and a field goal from there just about closed the book. And Kelce wasn’t alone. Kansas City had six passes bounce off the receivers’ hands.

“The obvious is we’ve had too many drops,” Reid said. “You got to take care of that, I’m not sure where these came from, we’ve been catching the ball pretty good until the last couple games. These are great players that have had some drops and quarterback I know would like to have a couple of those throws back, but we’ve got to start making those kind of plays offensively.

But the issues run deeper than drops. The Chiefs haven’t looked right in most areas. The defense has been leaking, the offensive line is beat up, and the most surprising part is that the offense isn’t stepping up.

Chiefs’ offense needs to step up

Andy Reid is still steering an offense built around Patrick Mahomes, but for the first time in a long while, that group is taking real heat. A 6–7 start will do that. And yes, Houston’s defense is as good as anyone’s this year. But a Mahomes offense managing only 10 points? That sends up a flare.

“We’ve been up and down, so we need more consistency. And that’s what we’re striving to get here,” Reid said Wednesday. “We’ve had some great days, great plays, but you have to do it for four quarters in this business. So we’ve got to be more consistent.

Top Stories

Forced to Leave FOX, Cowboys Legend Troy Aikman Says ESPN Is Like ‘U.S. Government’ & Clearly Distinguishes the Two Networks

NFL Files Motion to Dismiss Former Texans Board Member Cary McNair’s “Legally Baseless” Lawsuit

T.J. Watt’s Wife Shares Emotional Update on Steelers LB Following Worrying Health Scare

Steelers Legend Accuses Mike Tomlin of Lowering Standards as Winning Record Called Into Question

2026 NFL Draft Edge/Pass Rusher Rankings: Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. Narrowly Tops Texas Tech’s David Bailey at No. 1

That pretty much captures the season. The inconsistency is eating away at everything they’re trying to do. Mahomes opened the year unevenly, then looked like an MVP for a stretch, and now he’s dipped again. It’s hard to pin it all on him, though, when he’s throwing behind a patched-together offensive line and to receivers who keep letting the ball hit the ground.

Last week told the story clearly enough. After scoring on two of their first three drives in the second half against Houston, the Chiefs didn’t move the chains once over their next four possessions. Every trip ended the same way: badly. Two interceptions, two turnovers on downs.

The New York Times playoff odds laid it out starkly: Kansas City now sits at 16% to make the postseason after dropping to 6–7. Before Sunday night, that number was 37%. And unless Patrick Mahomes snaps back into being the player who’s carried this franchise for half a decade, the margin for error is basically gone.