For those hoping to see the Kansas City Chiefs lose their 2025 season finale, you had an emotional final two minutes, with each team taking the lead on field goals. In the end, the Chiefs lost 14-12 but secured the ninth pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Let’s get right to the heart of the matter. Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid made the call of the game when he took his third timeout with the Raiders already in field goal range on what turned out to be the game-winning field goal.
Entering the final day of the season, the Chiefs could have picked as high as eighth or as low as 13. However, with Daniel Carlson making a career-long 60-yard field goal in the final seconds, Reid gave General Manager Brett Veach a belated Christmas present.
Now the fun begins as the Chiefs will wait for the 13,000-receiving man, Travis Kelce, to make his final decision about playing in 2026. According to reports, we already know the Chiefs plan a minor shake-up of the coaching staff and in the locker room.
Thanks to the loss on Sunday, the Chiefs can now focus exclusively on making home improvements and begin the climb back to the AFC’s Penthouse.
As for the game, not all was bad for Kansas City. With some significant roster changes, some young players earned serious consideration for increased playing time. Cornerback Nohl Williams will make the losses of Jaylen Watson and likely Trent McDuffie more palpable for Chiefs fans. In addition, Kristen Fulton showed that when healthy, he is precisely the outside cornerback this defense needs.
Defensive End Ashton Gillotte, Safety Jaden Hicks, Linebacker Cooper McDonald, and running backs Brashard Smith and Damien Pierce can be big-time performers for Kansas City in 2026.
Still, you must admire the energy this team played with, especially from Kelce, who played virtually every snap; Chris Jones, who had two sacks; and Nick Bolton, who led the team with nine tackles. Harrison Butker made four field goals, and his early-season woes appear to be a thing of the past.
We should also give respect to the Las Vegas Raiders, who had already clinched the top spot in the draft before kick-off. They came to play with nothing on the line and showed a lot of moxie to get into position for the game-winning field goal.
With a 6-11 record, the Chiefs already know their 2026 opponents. Yet despite a third-place schedule, the group of teams they’ll face next season is daunting. More on that on Monday.
For now, we should all take solace in the fact that the season is over. We can focus on the rebuild and hope Patrick Mahomes is throwing rockets in Training Camp. We can certainly be pessimistic about the future, but every great dynasty hits a low point before climbing back to the top.
Free agency begins on March 9th, so we won’t have much time to feel sorry for ourselves.
