The Kansas City Chiefs faced another setback in their playoff journey, suffering a 20-10 defeat against the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football, December 7. Despite the mounting challenges, their star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, remains resolute in his commitment to the team’s success.

In the aftermath of the game, Mahomes, now 30, stood firmly by his head coach, Andy Reid, and his esteemed teammate, Travis Kelce, during the postgame press conference. Reflecting on Kelce’s potential retirement, a topic the 36-year-old tight end had considered last season, Mahomes expressed his intention to savor each remaining moment of the season alongside him, regardless of Kelce’s ultimate decision.

“Every season that I’ve had with him these last few years, I try to cherish because you never know,” Mahomes remarked, confronting the reality of the Chiefs’ fourth defeat in their past five outings. “He got himself in great shape this year and he’s played great football, and he’ll have the option to do whatever he wants to do after this season.”

In a pivotal moment during the fourth quarter, with the Chiefs trailing by a touchdown, Kelce had a crucial opportunity to change the game’s course. However, he dropped a pass from Mahomes, which was subsequently intercepted. This turnover allowed the Texans to secure a field goal, effectively sealing the Chiefs’ fate for the night.

Meanwhile, Kelce addressed recent speculations about his interactions on the sidelines with Coach Reid. In an interview with the Kansas City Star published Friday, September 26, the 35-year-old tight end affirmed his loyalty, stating, “I love that guy, man. There’s nothing outside of this building that’s going to make me feel any different way. We know exactly […]”

Coming off of arguably the worst statistical season of his career in 2024, Kelce’s numbers have ticked back up this season as he tries to guide the Chiefs to a fourth Super Bowl title since 2020.

“I know one thing is he’ll give everything he has the rest of this season to try and give us a chance to make a playoff run,” Mahomes said. “We know the chances are getting lower and lower, but I know the guys on this team are going to give everything they have every opportunity they get.”

Mahomes also showed his faith in Reid, 67, whose decision to have the Chiefs go for it on a fourth-and-1 from their own 31-yard line in the fourth quarter ultimately failed and led to the Texans’ go-ahead score.

“Coach Reid believes in us and we’ve executed in that same situation several times this season,” Mahomes said.

It was not a Thanksgiving to remember for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.  Mahomes, 30, and Kansas City lost 31-28 to the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Thursday, November 27, putting the Chiefs’ playoff hopes in severe peril.  “You’ve got to win every game now — and hope that’s […]

Even as the Chiefs came up short, he said that he hasn’t lost faith in Kelce or the core of his offense.

“I’m going to go to those guys in big moments,” he said. “Those guys have made big plays in Super Bowls, they’ve made big plays in AFC Championship Games.”

He added, “[The Texans] made good plays today but I’ll never question the decision to go for it because I believe in the offense and who we are.”

Reid, for his part, said he took “full responsibility” for the failed fourth-down conversion.

“I thought we could get it,” he said. “I was confident we could do that. It’s important to take advantage of opportunities and I thought it was an opportunity. I was wrong in hindsight. I was wrong. We’ve been pretty good on fourth downs. I messed that one up.”

With their latest loss, the Chiefs’ playoff odds have plummeted to 15 percent, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats. At 6-7 on the season, Kansas City has four regular season games remaining, starting at home against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, December 14.

“We’ve still got an opportunity. Even though it’s a slim opportunity, we have an opportunity,” defensive tackle Chris Jones said. “For us, the door is still open. It might be a 10 percent chance. It might be a 5 percent chance. But as long as we have an opportunity and a chance, we can control that, and let the cards fall where they fall.”