By Matthew SchmidtShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberThe Kansas City Chiefs rallied for a pivotal 23-20 overtime win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, improving to 6-5 on the season and keeping them in the AFC playoff picture.
The Chiefs did not look overly impressive in the victory, however, as Patrick Mahomes failed to throw a touchdown pass and tossed an interception while posting a 77.4 passer rating. And if the season ended today, Kansas City would still be on the outside of the playoffs.
Read more: Jon Gruden to Giants Picks Up Steam With Latest Development
The Chiefs' 2025 struggles have been puzzling, to say the least, and one NFL executive has offered a wild take on Kansas City: that it would actually benefit from missing the playoffs.
“They can then have a real assessment as to who they want to be and how they want to get there,” the exec said, via Mike Sando of The Athletic.
...This is definitely one of the strangest takes you will ever see. The Chiefs have won nine straight AFC West division titles and haven't failed to qualify for the postseason since 2014. They've won three Super Bowl championships while appearing in five Super Bowls throughout that span. Missing the playoffs just isn't on their radar.
Now, does Kansas City have some issues that it needs to address? Absolutely, but the Chiefs can still make the playoffs and then fix those problems in the offseason.
It's not like Kansas City needs to tank for a quarterback, and even if that were the case, the Chiefs already can't do any worse than 6-11, so they wouldn't get the No. 1 overall pick, anyway.
So, yeah: it's hard to understand the logic behind actually urging Andy Reid's squad to miss the playoffs, especially considering we all know how dangerous Kansas City will be if it gets into the tournament.
Read more: Ravens Insider Exposes Unsettling Concern for Lamar Jackson
The Chiefs started the season 0-2 and have gone 6-3 since then, so for the most part, they have been playing decent football over the last nine games.
Kansas City will face the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving.
For more on the Kansas City Chiefs and general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
Request Reprint & LicensingSubmit CorrectionView Editorial & AI Guidelines
Add Newsweek as a preferred source on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search.Recommended For You
NFLChiefs, Patrick Mahomes Suffer Unfortunate Development Despite Colts Win2 min read
NFLNFL Places Blame After Big Mistake in Cowboys-Eagles3 min read
NFLChip Kelly Sends Classy Message After Abrupt Firing by Raiders2 min read
NFLRaiders Make Massive Coaching Change After Browns Loss3 min read
NFLBrowns’ Kevin Stefanski Noncommittal on Shedeur Sanders Starting After Big Win3 min read
NFLBroncos Lose Out on JK Dobbins Replacement to Chiefs3 min readRelated Podcasts
Top Stories
WorldRussia-Ukraine Live Updates: US, Ukraine Draft New 19-Point Peace Deal2 min read
NewsUncommon Knowledge: Trump May Be Winning the Global Climate Change Debate6 min read
NewsMedicare Premiums Set for Second-Largest Increase in Its History3 min read
NewsAOC Preparing ‘Most Powerful’ Presidential Bid ‘Since Obama’—Fox News Host4 min read
WorldNorth Korea ‘Expanding’ Major Nuclear Site: Analysts6 min read
EntertainmentJimmy Cliff, Grammy-Winning Reggae Legend, Dead Age 815 min readTrending
WeatherWinter Weather Alerts in 4 States As 18 Inches of Snow To Hit3 min read
Higher EducationFull List of Degrees Not Classed As ‘Professional’ by Trump Admin8 min read
WeatherMaps Show Snow Risk for Each State Over Thanksgiving 2025 Holidays3 min read
National Weather ServiceWinter Storm Alert Issued as 12 Inches of Snow Set To Hit3 min read
NFLNBC Celebrates Major Cris Collinsworth News Ahead of ‘Sunday Night Football’2 min readOpinion
OpinionFour Ways to Fight Trump’s Golden Age of Corruption | Opinion5 min read
OpinionThe Post-Shutdown Mandate—It’s Time for California to Lead | Opinion5 min read
OpinionDon’t Let Monopoly Utilities Kill Clean Consumer Choices | Opinion4 min read
Opinion‘AI Plus’ Is China’s Master Plan to Build an AI-Native Society by 2035 | Opinion5 min read
OpinionConventional Wisdom: The Trump and Mamdani Edition2 min read
