Time is running out for the Chiefs

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has already earned a first-ballot bronze bust. But he surely wants more.

This year, more may not be in the cards.

A Thanksgiving loss to the Cowboys has dropped the Chiefs to 6-6, with five games to play. While they're not officially done, they may have to run the table in order to get an invitation to the playoff party.

The remaining schedule looks like this: Texans, Chargers, at Titans, Broncos, at Raiders. Two games should be easy wins. As to the other three, who knows?

"If we're gonna make the playoffs," Mahomes told reporters after the game, "we're gonna have to win them all."

Winning out will definitely make it easier; an 11-6 finish should be good enough to get one of the seven AFC postseason spots. The problem becomes tiebreakers. They've lost to the Chargers, Jaguars, Bills, and Broncos. A tie for the seventh spot with any of them will knock the Chiefs out.

The Week 5 Monday night loss in Jacksonville could come back to haunt the Chiefs. If the Jaguars beat the Titans on Sunday, they'll have a two-game lead over the Chiefs, along with a tiebreaker fueled by the bizarre play from quarterback Trevor Lawrence, where he fell down twice before running in for a game-winning touchdown.

Again, the Chiefs are still alive. But these Chiefs look nothing like the Chiefs have looked since 2018.

Those Chiefs wouldn't be 6-6. And those Chiefs would have found a way to beat the Cowboys today.