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Jan 18, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) slides against Houston Texans linebacker Henry To'oTo'o (39) during the fourth quarter of a 2025 AFC divisional round game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Why Hope is Still Alive for the Chiefs

Originally posted on Kansas City Chiefs on SI
By Andy Quach | Last updated Dec 6, 2025 11:00 AM ET

It's pretty rare for the Kansas City Chiefs to be playing one of the most important games on the slate in Week 14 of a given NFL season.

This time last year, this team was 11-1 and had already punched its ticket for the 2024 NFL playoffs. This year, they're holding on for dear life. A loss to the Houston Texans would all but guarantee that KC will miss the postseason for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era.

This isn't just a must-win game for the Chiefs, though. At 7-5, the Texans are also outside of the current AFC playoff picture. They have a bit more margin for error, but dropping to Kansas City would cut their chances of making the postseason to under 50 percent. This is virtually a "play-in" game for both teams. For the Chiefs, every week moving forward is essentially an elimination game.

Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

No one's doubting the reigning AFC champions

The good news for the Kansas City Chiefs is that their schedule is about to lighten up. After Week 14, they take on the reeling and injury-riddled Los Angeles Chargers, the Tennessee Titans, and the Las Vegas Raiders — along with one more matchup with the AFC West-leading Denver Broncos.

They still have to get through the Houston Texans, though, who are currently boasting a four-game win streak that has kept their postseason hopes alive. Last time these two teams met, the Chiefs ousted C.J. Stroud and Co. in the Divisional Round of the playoffs this past January, 23-14. In this de facto playoff game in Week 14, NFL.com's panel of editors is riding with KC once again, with four of five members picking the Chiefs. Gennaro Filice faded the panel, predicting a 20-17 upset by the Texans:

Here's the final injury report for the Chiefs and Texans. pic.twitter.com/2TPKmddizT
— Matt McMullen (@KCChiefs_Matt) December 5, 2025

"Every so often, though, a D comes along that flips the modern game on its head. Think: Seattle's "Legion of Boom" and Denver's "No Fly Zone" — two top-ranked units that spearheaded Super Bowl triumphs. Is this Houston group, which leads the league in points and yards allowed, that kind of defense?

OK, admittedly, it's more than a little presumptuous to start talking about the Lombardi Trophy with a team that doesn't currently hold a playoff spot, ranking third in its own division. But with the Texans riding a four-game win streak, having stifled the Colts and Bills over the past two weeks, it seems fair to discuss DeMeco Ryans' defense-led squad as a potential knuckleball in an AFC that feels wide open."

"To be clear, Kansas City is far from the supreme team we've become accustomed to, with three losses in its last four games. But it's still Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. And the venue's still Arrowhead Stadium, where the Chiefs have lost one game since Christmas Day 2023.

K.C. currently has a 34 percent chance to make the playoffs, per Next Gen Stats, but a loss would drop those postseason odds to 11 percent. That's slim-to-none territory. Can the Texans slay this beleaguered AFC beast? With a ferocious front to overwhelm Kansas City's battered offensive line, I think they can — and will!"