Patrick Mahomes has won the AFC West and made at least the AFC Championship Game in each of his first eight seasons as an NFL starter with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The first of those streaks came to an end with Sunday night’s 20-10 home loss to the Houston Texans. Kansas City has been eliminated from AFC West title contention, snapping its streak of nine consecutive division crowns.
The second also is in serious danger. The Chiefs fell to 6-7 and to 10th in the AFC playoff picture with the loss. With four games to play, Kansas City is two games back of Houston for the seventh and final playoff spot, with the Texans also holding the tiebreaker thanks to Sunday’s win.
“We know the (playoff) chances are getting lower and lower, but I know the guys on this team are going to give everything they have, every opportunity we get,” Mahomes said after Sunday’s loss. “I know we’re not winning games, but that mindset the guys have in this locker room, in the games that we’re not winning, you can never question the fight of this team.
“Obviously, we’re not executing at the right moments and we’re not making those plays, but at the end of the day you can never question that, and I think you’ll see that for these last four weeks.”
Mahomes, a two-time MVP in 2018 and 2022 and six-time Pro Bowl selection who turned 30 in September, has not seen a personal drop off in production this season. With 3,398 passing yards and 22 touchdowns, he’s on pace for his most in each category since his last MVP season.
However, the Chiefs have battled a host of offensive line injuries and a lot of their talent, like 36-year-old tight end Travis Kelce, isn’t getting any younger.
Kansas City’s last four games are against two division opponents currently playoff eligible in the Denver Broncos (11-2) and Los Angeles Chargers (8-4) and the two bottom teams in the AFC in the Las Vegas Raiders (2-11) and Tennessee Titans (2-11).
The Chiefs play host to the Chargers on Sunday after losing to Los Angeles at Brazil to open the season.
