The Kansas City Chiefs have battled through inconsistencies, rising competition, slow starts, and uncertainty about their offensive abilities this season. As the playoff path narrows, Brett Favre and Tom Brady, two quarterbacks who know pressure better than anyone, echoed a similar warning. Their shared outlook sets the stage for a high-stakes stretch that could define the Chiefs’ entire season.

“You can never rule Kansas City out with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. You can never rule them out. They’ll be right there in the thick of it, right at the end,” Brett Favre said on 4th and Favre on Monday. “Putting Kansas City in the conference championship is certainly not wrong. Now they’ve struggled a little bit, but I would not be surprised if they’re in the championship again.”

Every fan knows that the real competition in the season starts during Thanksgiving, and the Chiefs’ playoff chances need a competitive edge. Favre highlighted the effectiveness of Mahomes’ leadership and Reid’s training. He believes that Kansas City will always find a way back into contention as long as those two are in control. Even after an uphill battle, he believes they will continue to be a threat for the conference title.

“If you are gonna comment on the Chiefs being in the top 10, I want you to do something. Close your eyes, visualise it’s January and cold out. Patrick Mahomes has the ball with five minutes left,’ Tom Brady said as his most controversial Power Rankings on Instagram. “How do you think that story is gonna end? They are just a cheat code for power rankings. If I am being honest, you’re lucky they are not higher.”

Brady echoes that sentiment but adds a vivid image and is convinced the story ends in Kansas City’s favor. According to him, the Chiefs are almost unfairly dominant when it comes to power rankings. It is not blind faith but rather Reid and Mahomes’ historic game-changing ability.  

In 2024, the Chiefs won the AFC title game for the third straight year, marking themselves as only the fourth team in NFL history to make it to the Super Bowl in three consecutive seasons.

Andy Reid has 28 playoff victories, 19 career playoff wins at home as a head coach, which is the second-most in NFL history. Reid has led the Chiefs back to the Super Bowl five times after guiding the Philadelphia Eagles there once, for a total of six Super Bowl appearances. The Chiefs ​​have won 17th straight one-score games (including playoffs), which is the longest streak of its kind in NFL history. But the 2025 season has put their dominance to a real test. 

Trailing at 5–5, the Kansas City Chiefs have shown flashes of brilliance but also frustrating inconsistency. In comparison to other seasons, the Chiefs have exhibited inferior discipline in each of their losses with self-inflicted mistakes and unforced errors. 

In their season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Chiefs’ secondary struggled in coverage, including situations in which players crashed into each other and allowed receivers to be wide open. Cornerback Jaylen Watson and safety Chamarri Conner were each called for pass interference; each penalty constituted the turning point for two of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ touchdowns, including the game-winning score.

Yet, Favre and Brady’s shared belief offers a counterpoint to the troubling headlines. Most importantly, their recent loss to the Denver Broncos underlines how fragile things can feel, and an upcoming showdown with the Colts could make or break their playoff hopes. But are the Chiefs still a real threat to go all the way?

Chiefs at risk of replicating the failures of 2014

The Chiefs’ postseason picture just got murkier after a heart-wrenching 22-19 loss to the Broncos. What felt like a narrow defeat now looms large over their playoff hopes. The Chiefs last missed the playoffs in 2014 after finishing with a 9-7 record.

“It sucks. Don’t get me wrong,” Patrick Mahomes said after the loss. “We’ve been losing these close games recently, but we’ve played some good football in spurts. It’s just about being more consistent, and until we go out there and do it.”

In Sunday’s game, Kansas City seized a brief lead when Mahomes connected with Travis Kelce for a 21-yard touchdown. However, that advantage was undone by a blocked extra point. Wil Lutz scored a 35-yard field goal as time ran out, and Denver’s defense shut the door in the fourth quarter. After 12-0 in one-score games in 2024, including the playoffs, the Chiefs are 0-5 in such situations this season.  

“I mean, obviously, it’s gonna be hard to get back in the division race,” Mahomes added about the slipping AFC title. “But at the end of the day, the goal is to get into the playoffs and try to make a run at it. And all you can focus on is next week.”

Mahomes wasn’t at his sharpest. He completed 29 of 45 passes for 276 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, and he was sacked three times. His missteps and inconsistency hurt Kansas City when it mattered the most.

“There was disappointment last night. They fought their hearts out. But we made too many mistakes,” Andy Reid said. “We’re not quite as negative as the outside world is. We know what we need to clean up.”

With a 5-5 record, the Chiefs are not only practically out of the running to win their AFC West division, but they are also completely out of the playoffs. They would have to overcome the 5-5 Houston Texans and the 6-4 Jacksonville Jaguars to secure the No. 7 seed from No. 9 and a postseason berth. The AFC West has the Broncos and Chargers leading the way, both teams that defeated the Chiefs with a narrow scoreline.

Next up comes a matchup with the Indianapolis Colts, a cohesive unit that doesn’t make significant mistakes. The Chiefs’ chances of making the wild card could quickly diminish if they falter once more, affecting their playoff rankings. Their seeding could be weakened with a road loss to a formidable team, making the trip more difficult.

Kansas City needs momentum now more than ever as there is no room for error. However, if they prevail, it might be a rare but difficult lifeline.