The Kansas City Chiefs dropped another tight one on Sunday, falling 22-19 to the Denver Broncos. And in doing so, Patrick Mahomes & Co. added yet another troubling chapter to their lacklustre season: they simply cannot win a one-score game.
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The loss dropped the Chiefs to 5-5, but the scoreline barely scratches the surface. The Chiefs, who were the NFL’s gold standard in razor-thin finishes last season to the extent that critics even speculated about ‘rigging,’ suddenly look like a team that has forgotten how to close. The contrast from last year to now is staggering.
In 2024, the Chiefs were perfect in close contests: 12-0 in one-score games, including the playoffs. They were on a historic streak with a Super Bowl run defined by late-game execution, poise, and Patrick Mahomes coming clutch almost every time. But in 2025, the Chiefs’ magic has evaporated.
KC currently sits at 0-5 in one-score games, losing every single tight contest they’ve been in. And Pat McAfee summed up the league-wide reaction with one blunt question.
Sharing an NBC graphic of the Chiefs’ one-score record flip, he wrote: “What the hell’s going on in Kansas City?”
What the hell’s going on in Kansas City? pic.twitter.com/25VuliArdB
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 17, 2025
This is the question everyone is asking because Sunday’s loss followed a now-familiar script. Against Denver, Patrick Mahomes was once again out of rhythm, missing throws he normally makes in his sleep. He even admitted his shortcomings in the post-game interview: “We haven’t been consistent enough to win games. It starts with me.”
The Broncos, meanwhile, did what they have done all season by closing the game with back-to-back field goal drives led by Bo Nix. Patrick Mahomes, on the other hand, with four minutes left and a chance to pull off another late-game miracle, couldn’t gain a single yard.
His final play ended with him being sacked by Ja’Quan McMillian, making it the seventh time this year the Chiefs have been outperformed in crunch time. The Chiefs have now dropped every close contest they’ve played this season, falling 27-21 to the Chargers in Week 1, 20-17 to the Eagles in Week 2, 31-28 to the Jaguars in Week 5, 28-21 to the Bills in Week 9, and now 22-19 to the Broncos in Week 12.
Unsurprisingly, HC Andy Reid couldn’t help but acknowledge the issue without sugar-coating it. “When you’re playing good teams… you’ve got to do the right things. Guys have got to make plays when given an opportunity,” he said.
The Chiefs currently have just a 10% chance of winning the AFC West, per ESPN. Their playoff odds remain alive, barely, but the margin for error is gone. Only 89 of 989 teams that started 5-5 or worse in the Super Bowl era have made the postseason. Only two reached the Super Bowl.
Until last night, many were attributing the Chiefs’ inconsistencies to a ‘slow start’, ‘personnel issues’ or an ‘early-season hiccup.’ But as it’s turned out, the Chiefs are going through a real problem right now. Andy Reid and his men clearly don’t have the answer yet, but if they don’t find it soon, the AFC playoffs may go on without them.
