Who Did the Kansas City Chiefs Lose to This Year: The 2025 Meltdown Explained

Who Did the Kansas City Chiefs Lose to This Year: The 2025 Meltdown Explained

It finally happened. The dynasty didn't just flicker; it essentially hit a brick wall at 80 miles per hour. If you’re asking who did the Kansas City Chiefs lose to this year, the list is long, painful, and frankly a little surreal for anyone who has watched Patrick Mahomes dominate the league for the last decade.

The 2025 NFL season was supposed to be the year of the "four-peat" or at least a chance to avenge a Super Bowl LIX loss to the Eagles. Instead, Kansas City finished with a dismal 6-11 record. They missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014. It’s wild. One minute you're the kings of the AFC, and the next, you're looking at the ninth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Honestly, the schedule makers did them no favors early on, but the wheels really came off once the injuries started piling up. We aren't just talking about a couple of bruised egos. We are talking about a season-ending ACL tear for Mahomes in Week 15 that basically served as the funeral for their postseason hopes.

Every Team That Beat the Chiefs in 2025

The Chiefs didn't just lose to the heavy hitters. They dropped games to bottom-feeders and divisional rivals alike. Here is the chronological path of destruction that defined their 2025 campaign:

  • Week 1: Los Angeles Chargers (27-21) – A rocky start in São Paulo, Brazil. The international stage didn't suit them, and the Chargers set the tone for a season of AFC West struggles.
  • Week 2: Philadelphia Eagles (20-17) – A Super Bowl rematch that felt like a hangover. The Eagles' defense smothered Mahomes, and the Chiefs started 0-2 for the first time in the Andy Reid era.
  • Week 5: Jacksonville Jaguars (31-28) – After a brief two-game winning streak, the Jags reminded KC that their defense was vulnerable to the deep ball.
  • Week 9: Buffalo Bills (28-21) – Josh Allen doing Josh Allen things. This loss snapped a three-game win streak and started the slow slide toward the bottom of the standings.
  • Week 11: Denver Broncos (22-19) – Losing at Mile High is one thing, but this was a game the Chiefs had multiple chances to win late.
  • Week 13: Dallas Cowboys (31-28) – The Thanksgiving Day massacre. Despite a massive TV audience, the Chiefs couldn't stop the Dallas offense in the fourth quarter.

Then came the December collapse. If you’re tracking who did the Kansas City Chiefs lose to this year, the final stretch is where the nightmare truly lived. They lost their last six games of the season.

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The Winter of Discontent: Weeks 14 through 18

Everything changed after the Dallas game. The offense, which had been inconsistent all year, suddenly looked broken. Then, in a Week 15 divisional clash against the Chargers, Patrick Mahomes went down with a non-contact knee injury. It was an ACL tear. Season over.

Without Mahomes, the Chiefs turned to the backup rotation, and it was ugly. They lost to the Houston Texans (20-10) in Week 14 before the Mahomes injury. Then, following the injury, they dropped games to the Los Angeles Chargers (16-13), the Tennessee Titans (26-9), and the Denver Broncos (20-13).

The final insult? A Week 18 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders (14-12). The Raiders were playing for the top pick in the draft, and yet the Chiefs couldn't find the end zone once.

Why the Chiefs Couldn't Close Games

It’s easy to blame the Mahomes injury, but the issues started way before Week 15. Kinda makes you wonder what was going on in that locker room. In 2024, the Chiefs were legendary for winning one-score games. They went 12-0 in games decided by 8 points or less that year.

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In 2025? They went 1-7 in those same scenarios.

The regression was staggering. According to EPA (Expected Points Added) data from the late-season stretch, the Chiefs' offense without Mahomes ranked dead last in the league—worse than the Raiders and the Jets. They averaged a paltry 11.3 points per game in the final three weeks. You can't win in the NFL scoring 11 points, even if your defense is playing out of its mind.

What Most People Get Wrong About the 2025 Season

A lot of folks want to say the "dynasty is over" because the talent left. That's not really the whole story. Travis Kelce still had moments, and the defense actually stayed relatively stout for most of the year. The real culprit was a mix of bad luck and a "nonexistent running game," as noted by several Arrowhead analysts.

The Chiefs' front office tried to patch things up with mid-season signings, but nobody could replace the gravity that Mahomes provides. When teams didn't have to fear the deep ball or the "Mahomes Magic" scramble, they just sat in a shell and waited for the Chiefs to make a mistake. And boy, did they make mistakes. Eleven interceptions from Mahomes before he went down—a career high.

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What Happens Now?

The 2025 season is in the books, and it's a chapter most Chiefs fans want to burn. But the silver lining is the draft capital. With a top-10 pick, Brett Veach has a chance to reload the roster with a blue-chip tackle or a true WR1 to help an aging Kelce.

If you're looking for actionable insights on how to handle the Chiefs in your 2026 fantasy drafts or betting pools, keep an eye on the medical reports. Mahomes' recovery timeline is everything. A 6-11 season is a massive outlier, but until that knee is 100%, the AFC West belongs to the Broncos and Chargers.

Next Steps for Chiefs Fans:

  • Monitor Patrick Mahomes' ACL rehab updates through the spring OTAs.
  • Watch the 2026 NFL Combine to see if the Chiefs target offensive line depth early.
  • Check the coaching staff changes; rumors are swirling about offensive coordinator shifts after the December scoring drought.