The Kansas City Chiefs’ dynasty didn’t end with a dramatic playoff loss or a last-second heartbreak.
It ended on Christmas night, in front of a national audience, with a third-string quarterback and a 20-13 loss to the Denver Broncos that dropped Kansas City to 6-10.
Patrick Mahomes’ Absence Defines Chiefs’ Lost Season
For the first time since 2014, the Chiefs will miss the playoffs. For the first time since Romeo Crennel’s disastrous 2-14 campaign in 2012, they’ll finish with a losing record. And for the first time in nine years, someone else will win the AFC West.
Patrick Mahomes watched it all from the sideline, his left knee wrapped after tearing his ACL two weeks ago against the Chargers. Gardner Minshew, who was supposed to bridge the gap, sat beside him with his own knee injury. That left Chris Oladokun — a 28-year-old journeyman making his first career NFL start — to try to keep Kansas City’s fading hopes alive.
He didn’t embarrass himself. Oladokun finished 13-of-22 for 66 yards and a touchdown, a five-yard strike to rookie Brashard Smith in the second quarter that briefly gave the Chiefs a 7-3 lead. The defense forced a Bo Nix interception and held Denver to field goals for most of the game. Kansas City led 7-6 at halftime.
Chris Oladokun just keeps making things happen
DENvsKC on Prime Video
Also streaming on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/cvr3svCCik— NFL (@NFL) December 26, 2025
But the Broncos are built for games like this. Sean Payton’s offense methodically chewed clock, running a 14-play, nearly 10-minute drive in the third quarter that ended with Nix scrambling nine yards for a touchdown. When Harrison Butker drilled a 47-yard field goal to tie it at 13 early in the fourth, it felt like the Chiefs might steal one.
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They couldn’t. Denver answered with another long drive, and when Chris Jones — the heart of Kansas City’s defense — jumped offsides on an obvious hard count near the goal line, the Broncos had first-and-goal with two minutes left. Nix found RJ Harvey in the back of the end zone three plays later, and the Chiefs’ season was effectively over.
Travis Kelce’s Potential Final Home Game Ends in Defeat
The loss stung for reasons beyond the standings. Travis Kelce, who has yet to announce his plans for next season but appears headed toward retirement, caught five passes for 36 yards in what may have been his final game at Arrowhead Stadium.
Kelce and Mahomes redefined what a quarterback-tight end partnership could look like in the modern NFL. They won three Super Bowls together, appeared in five, and set the playoff record for touchdowns by a passing duo. Now Mahomes is rehabbing a torn ACL, and Kelce is weighing whether to come back for a 13th season without his favorite target at full strength.
Travis Kelce walks off the field after his last home game of the season @tkelce | @chiefs pic.twitter.com/5keiEj8Hvu
— NFL (@NFL) December 26, 2025
The roster around them has eroded. Kansas City entered Thursday’s game without its top two offensive tackles, its best two cornerbacks, and its most productive wide receiver. The pass rush that once terrorized the AFC has gone quiet. The running game has been stuck in neutral all year — Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt combined for 70 yards on 16 carries against Denver.
What comes next is unclear. Mahomes’ recovery timeline stretches into late summer, potentially threatening his availability for Week 1 of 2026. The Chiefs have cap decisions to make, draft capital to deploy, and a window that suddenly looks much narrower than it did a month ago.
For one night, though, the football world watched the transfer of power in the AFC West happen in real time.
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The Broncos improved to 13-3 and moved one step closer to clinching the division title Denver hasn’t held since 2015. The Chiefs trudged off their home field with a losing record for the first time in over a decade.
Dynasties don’t last forever. Kansas City’s ended on Christmas.
