It was a cold, quiet January in Kansas City. Usually, this time of year, the city is draped in red, the scent of barbecue is thick in the air, and everyone is buzzing about a deep playoff run. But as we look at the score of the Kansas city football game from the final week of the season, it’s clear that things went sideways in a way few experts predicted back in August.
The Chiefs finished their 2025-2026 campaign with a whimper rather than a roar.
On January 4, 2026, the Kansas City Chiefs traveled to Las Vegas to face the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. This wasn't the high-stakes showdown we’ve come to expect from this rivalry. Instead, it was a battle for pride between two teams already eliminated from playoff contention. The final score was 14-12 in favor of the Raiders.
Daniel Carlson, a pending free agent for Las Vegas, basically stole the show by nailing a career-long 60-yard field goal with just eight seconds left on the clock. It was a gut punch for a Kansas City squad that had just taken a 12-11 lead a minute prior thanks to a 41-yarder from Harrison Butker.
The Score of the Kansas City Football Game and the 6-11 Reality
Honestly, seeing a 6-11 record next to Patrick Mahomes' name feels like a glitch in the Matrix.
This season was a grind from the start. People kept waiting for the "switch" to flip. It never did. The offensive rhythm that usually defines this era of Chiefs football was replaced by dropped passes, uncharacteristic turnovers, and a lack of explosive plays. That Week 18 loss to the Raiders was the exclamation point on a six-game losing streak.
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Think about that. Six games in a row.
While the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills were duking it out in a thrilling 33-30 overtime divisional playoff game on January 17, 2026, the Chiefs were already in "evaluation mode." It’s a strange feeling for a fan base that has basically lived at the AFC Championship game for nearly a decade.
Breaking Down the January 4th Loss
The game in Vegas was a defensive slog.
Neither team could find the end zone with any consistency. Mahomes threw for a modest yardage total, but the big-play threat wasn't there. Travis Kelce, who has been the heartbeat of this offense, was bracketed all day.
- Final Score: Raiders 14, Chiefs 12.
- Key Stat: Kansas City failed to score a single touchdown in the finale.
- The Turning Point: A 60-yard bomb of a kick by Carlson that ended a 10-game losing streak for the Raiders.
It wasn't just the Raiders game, though. The week before, on Christmas Day, the score of the Kansas City football game against the Broncos was 20-13. Another loss. Another game where the offense struggled to find double digits until late in the fourth quarter.
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Why the Score of the Kansas City Football Game Looked Different This Year
What changed?
NFL analysts like Emmanuel Acho and LeSean McCoy have been debating this for months. Is it the age of the roster? Is it the departure of key personnel over the last few years finally catching up? Or is it just the inevitable "hangover" after years of playing deep into February?
The defense, led by Steve Spagnuolo, actually held up fairly well for most of the season. They kept games close. When you hold a team to 14 points, like they did against the Raiders, you expect to win. But the offense just couldn't capitalize.
- Red Zone Efficiency: The Chiefs fell to the bottom half of the league in converting trips inside the 20-yard line into touchdowns.
- Turnover Margin: Mahomes and the backfield were uncharacteristically loose with the ball, ending the season with a negative turnover differential.
- Third Down Struggles: In the loss to the Raiders, the Chiefs were under 30% on third-down conversions.
Looking Toward 2026 and Beyond
The 2025 season is in the books. Now, the focus shifts to the 2026 NFL Draft and free agency.
Kansas City will have its highest draft pick in years. This gives General Manager Brett Veach a unique opportunity to inject high-end talent into a roster that clearly needs a spark. The schedule for the 2026 season is already taking shape, even if the dates aren't set.
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We know they will face the AFC East and the NFC West next year. That means games against the Bills, Dolphins, 49ers, and Rams. It doesn't get any easier.
To get back to winning ways, the front office has a massive checklist. They need to address the offensive line depth and find a legitimate vertical threat at wide receiver. The days of relying solely on Mahomes' "magic" to bail out a stagnant offense might be over. The league has caught up, and the score of the Kansas city football game throughout 2025 proved it.
If you're looking to track the Chiefs' rebuild this offseason, start by monitoring the salary cap space. They'll need to make tough decisions on aging veterans while trying to keep the core together. Watch the scouting reports for the upcoming NFL Combine in February—that's where the next era of Kansas City football truly begins.
The path back to the Super Bowl is long, but for a team with #15 under center, you can never truly count them out. It’s just going to take a lot more than magic this time around.