Will Chiefs survive 'elimination game' vs. Texans? Analyst bullish on Week 14 chances originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Kansas City Chiefs know exactly what is at stake on Sunday night in Week 14 against the Houston Texans, and without being heavy-handed, what is at stake is their entire 2025 season.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAt 6-6, the margin for error in a jumbled AFC playoff race is now zero after the loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving.
As such, the Chiefs are going to have to win every game on their schedule to make the postseason, which is a tough thing to do for a team that will need to win five games on the bounce, something they haven't looked like doing.
But the Chiefs still have one believer, CBS Sports' John Breech, who, in his prediction, has Kansas City winning what he calls an elimination game, 27-20.
"I feel like I've been saying this for the past three weeks, but I actually mean it this week, if the Chiefs don't win on Sunday, they're done," Breech wrote. "Basically, this feels like an elimination game for the Chiefs."
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Chiefs, Mahomes, facing pressure in Week 14
For a team that has been to at least the AFC Championship game every season since Mahomes has been the starter (seven years), to now have their season on life support in Week 14 isn't where many had Kansas City being in 2025.
But inconsistent performances and losing three of their last four games have the Chiefs not gently tapping the panic button: it's being bludgeoned.
As such, the Week 14 home game against the Texans, who boast perhaps the best defense in football, is the very definition of a must-win game. Otherwise, the season is over.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMahomes and Co. have skins on the wall in coming through in big moments. Can they do it at Arrowhead and keep their slim playoff hopes alive?
Breech is confident, and I'm not about to write off the Chiefs, even if they feel like their playoff hopes are already gone.
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