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Chiefs' Playoff Chances Take Significant Hit on Sunday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Nov 30, 2025 8:16 PM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs were not in action on Sunday, but their playoff hopes took a big hit after a significant development in the AFC. The Chiefs are coming off the tough loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, which marked Patrick Mahomes and Co.’s second consecutive defeat. Kansas City fell to 6-6 after the loss, leaving them in a precarious position in the playoff race.

On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost out to the Buffalo Bills, 26-7. While neither of the two teams is in the same division as the Chiefs, Pittsburgh’s loss in Week 13 still impacted the Chiefs significantly.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) and quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) during training.© Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Josh Allen led the charge for the Bills on Sunday, as they scored a crucial victory against Aaron Rodgers and Co. Buffalo improved to 8-4 after the win and remains seventh in the AFC. The Steelers, on the other hand, dropped to 6-6 and are ninth in the conference.

The big development for the Chiefs is that the Steelers’ loss saw Kansas City drop to 10th in the AFC. They have now fallen further back of the top seven teams that will secure a playoff spot in the conference.

More importantly, the Steelers dropped to second in the AFC North, with the Baltimore Ravens climbing to the top spot. This is a problem for the Chiefs because, as Matt Dreick of ChiefsDigest.com noted, Kansas City needs the Steelers to win their division to improve its chances of securing a postseason berth.

Because of the tiebreak rule, the Ravens are just one of two teams in the AFC that the Chiefs can beat out for a Wild Card spot. The other team is the Indianapolis Colts. The good news for the Chiefs is that the Jacksonville Jaguars won on Sunday, maintaining their lead over the Colts at the top of the AFC South.

If the Chiefs win on Sunday against the Houston Texans, Kansas City will also hold the tiebreaker over them as well.

Simply put, the Steelers’ loss on Sunday is bad news for the Chiefs. They dropped to 10th in the conference. It also exposed their unfavorable 3-4 record against the AFC, which will be pivotal in any potential tiebreak scenario. At this point, the Chiefs will need to win all five of their remaining games, and even then, that might not be enough to secure a playoff berth.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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