The regular season is over, the lockers are being cleared out, and honestly, if you’re asking who won the Kansas City Chiefs game last night, the answer is a bit of a gut punch. There was no game last night. While the rest of the NFL is gearing up for the divisional round or nursing wounds from Wild Card weekend, the Chiefs are already in offseason mode.
It feels weird, right? For years, January meant Arrowhead was rocking. It meant Patrick Mahomes doing something impossible on a frozen field. But the 2025-2026 season didn't follow the script. The Chiefs finished their year on January 4, 2026, with a 14-12 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. They didn't make the playoffs. They didn't even come close to a winning record, finishing 6-11.
If you were looking for a score from last night, Tuesday, January 13, you likely saw the Houston Texans dismantling the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6 on Monday Night Football. That game officially closed out the Wild Card round. The Chiefs? They were watching from the couch.
The Brutal Reality of the Chiefs 2025 Season
Let’s be real—this wasn't the "dynasty" we expected. This season was a grind that never quite gained traction. The final game against the Raiders basically summed up the whole year. It was a messy, low-scoring affair at Allegiant Stadium where the offense just couldn't find the end zone.
Harrison Butker was basically the entire offense that day. He kicked four field goals. That's it. No touchdowns. When you’re relying on your kicker to provide 100% of your points, you’re usually in trouble. The Raiders won it on a career-long 60-yard field goal by Daniel Carlson with only eight seconds left.
- Final Score: Raiders 14, Chiefs 12
- Chiefs Record: 6-11 (3rd in AFC West)
- Key Stat: The loss was the Chiefs' sixth straight defeat to end the season.
It’s been a long time since we saw a slide like that in Kansas City. Six losses in a row. To put that in perspective, they went from being a playoff contender in mid-November to completely falling out of the hunt by Christmas.
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Where was Patrick Mahomes?
This is the question everyone is asking. Last night’s highlights featured guys like C.J. Stroud and Aaron Rodgers, but Mahomes has been curiously absent from the stat sheets lately. In that final game against the Raiders, the Chiefs actually started Chris Oladokun. He didn't do much, throwing for 58 yards before Shane Buechele took over in the second half.
Mahomes has dealt with injuries and a roster that looked shell-shocked by the end of the year. The depth chart for that final game looked more like a preseason Week 3 lineup than a must-win divisional game. Travis Kelce was out there, but he was held to just 12 yards on three catches. When Kelce is getting bottled up by a 3-14 Raiders team, you know the wheels have officially come off.
Why Everyone is Confused About Last Night
If you’re seeing "Chiefs" trending today, it’s probably because of the Steelers-Texans game. The Steelers lost, and commentators kept mentioning that Pittsburgh’s last playoff win was actually against the Chiefs back in 2016. It’s a weird bit of trivia that popped up because Mike Tomlin is now tied for the longest playoff losing streak by a coach.
Also, people are still talking about the "frozen" game. No, not a game from this week. People are reminiscing about that legendary 26-7 win over the Dolphins from a couple of years ago because the weather in the Midwest has been so brutal lately.
But as for an actual game? Silence.
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The Playoff Bracket Without KC
It feels wrong to look at an AFC playoff bracket and not see the arrowhead logo. The AFC is currently being dominated by the Denver Broncos, who took the No. 1 seed with a 13-4 record. Think about that. The Broncos are the kings of the AFC West right now.
Here is how the remaining field looks as of this morning:
- Denver Broncos (Bye)
- New England Patriots
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Houston Texans (Just beat Pittsburgh)
The Texans look terrifying. Their defense just scored two touchdowns against the Steelers. Meanwhile, the Chiefs are looking at draft boards.
What Went Wrong?
You can't point to just one thing. It was a "perfect storm" of mediocrity. The defense, which kept them alive for the first half of the season, eventually wore down. They were on the field way too much because the offense couldn't sustain drives.
The running game was a revolving door. Kareem Hunt returned, which was a cool nostalgia trip, but he averaged less than 3 yards a carry in the finale. The offensive line struggled with penalties at the worst possible times—Kingsley Suamataia had a costly false start in the closing minutes of the Raiders game that basically killed their chances of a touchdown.
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Honestly, the "vibe" was just off. Andy Reid looked frustrated. The spark that usually defines this team was missing.
What Happens Now for the Chiefs?
Since they aren't playing, the work starts in the front office. A 6-11 record gives them a top-10 draft pick, something they haven't had in the Mahomes era.
"When you don't get it done, words are cheap," is what Mike Tomlin said after his loss last night, but it applies to the Chiefs' leadership right now, too.
They have to fix the receiving corps. Rashee Rice has shown flashes, but the secondary options have been non-existent. JuJu Smith-Schuster and Travis Kelce can't carry the load alone anymore, especially with Kelce's age becoming a visible factor on the field.
Next Steps for KC Fans:
- Watch the Draft Order: The Chiefs are currently slated for a high pick. They need a tackle or a blue-chip wide receiver.
- Monitor the Coaching Staff: There are rumors of shakeups. After a six-game losing streak, nobody’s job is 100% safe, even in Kansas City.
- Free Agency: They have some cap space, but they need to spend it on explosive playmakers. The "dink and dunk" offense died this year.
The Chiefs didn't win last night because they weren't invited to the party. For the first time in a decade, the road to the Super Bowl doesn't go through Kansas City. It's a weird reality to live in, but for Chiefs Kingdom, the focus has already shifted to 2026.
Keep an eye on the Divisional Round this weekend to see who eventually represents the AFC. Just don't expect to see any red and gold on the field until the preseason kicks off in August.