Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has already earned a first-ballot bronze bust. But he surely wants more.
This year, more may not be in the cards.
A Thanksgiving loss to the Cowboys has dropped the Chiefs to 6-6, with five games to play. While they’re not officially done, they may have to run the table in order to get an invitation to the playoff party.
The remaining schedule looks like this: Texans, Chargers, at Titans, Broncos, at Raiders. Two games should be easy wins. As to the other three, who knows?
“If we’re gonna make the playoffs,” Mahomes told reporters after the game, “we’re gonna have to win them all.”
Winning out will definitely make it easier; an 11-6 finish should be good enough to get one of the seven AFC postseason spots. The problem becomes tiebreakers. They’ve lost to the Chargers, Jaguars, Bills, and Broncos. A tie for the seventh spot with any of them will knock the Chiefs out.
The Week 5 Monday night loss in Jacksonville could come back to haunt the Chiefs. If the Jaguars beat the Titans on Sunday, they’ll have a two-game lead over the Chiefs, along with a tiebreaker fueled by the bizarre play from quarterback Trevor Lawrence, where he fell down twice before running in for a game-winning touchdown.
Again, the Chiefs are still alive. But these Chiefs look nothing like the Chiefs have looked since 2018.
Those Chiefs wouldn’t be 6-6. And those Chiefs would have found a way to beat the Cowboys today.
Chiefs Clips
The day started so promising for the Chiefs as Jaylen Watson intercepted Dak Prescott on the third play from scrimmage. The Chiefs took an early 7-0 lead.
It was the Cowboys’ day in the end, though.
Prescott threw for more than 300 yards; Watson had a crucial pass interference penalty late that helped the Cowboys run out the clock; and the Cowboys beat the Chiefs 31-28.
In what felt like a must-win for both teams, the Cowboys kept their playoff hopes alive with a third consecutive win that moved them to 6-5-1. They beat the 2024 Super Bowl teams — the Eagles and Chiefs — in four days. The Chiefs lost for the third time in four games and now appear longer-than-long shots to make the postseason at 6-6.
The Cowboys outgained the Chiefs 457 to 362.
Prescott completed 27 of 39 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns and one interception. CeeDee Lamb caught seven passes for 112 yards and a touchdown, and George Pickens had six catches for 88 yards. Javonte Williams ran for 59 yards on 17 carries and caught a touchdown pass, and backup running back Malik Davis had a 43-yard touchdown run.
The Chiefs had 10 penalties for 119 yards. They punted five times and forced only one Cowboys punt.
The Cowboys ran out the final 3:27.
Patrick Mahomes went 23-of-34 for 261 yards and four touchdowns. Rashee Rice had eight catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt ran 14 times for 58 yards.
The Chiefs went three-and-out after Dallas had taken the lead 28-21. It might have been their best last chance to stay alive for the postseason.
The Cowboys drove 82 yards in eight plays and made it a two-score lead with a 26-yard field goal. They lead 31-21 with 5:16 left.
Dak Prescott threw a 51-yard pass to CeeDee Lamb to the Kansas City 39 that felt like a dagger. He also had a 17-yard throw to Ryan Flournoy on third-and-2 at the Kansas City 31.
The Chiefs had a chance for an interception on second-and-8 at the Kansas City 12 and Trent McDuffie forced a fumble on third down that KaVontae Turpin recovered to save the day for Dallas. Brandon Aubrey then kicked the field goal.
Prescott is 26-of-38 for 307 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Lamb has seven catches for 112 yards and a touchdown and Pickens five for 75.
Dak Prescott led the Cowboys on an eight-play, 68-yard drive to grab the lead back from the Chiefs. After a successful 2-point conversion, Dallas leads Kansas City 28-21 with 11:15 remaining in the fourth quarter.
George Pickens had 50 yards in receiving on the drive and caught the 2-point pass from Prescott.
Pickens has four catches for 72 yards, and Prescott has completed 22 of 33 passes for 229 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Pickens got them out of a hole with an 11-yard reception on second-and-goal from the 14. Javonte Williams scored on the next play on a 3-yard pass from Prescott.
The Cowboys have outgained the Chiefs 354 to 283.
The Cowboys had a chance to take a two-score lead, but Jake Ferguson couldn’t get his second foot down in the end zone. Replay overturned the on-field call of a touchdown, and the Cowboys ended up kicking a field goal for a 20-14 lead on the Chiefs.
Dallas now trails 21-20.
The Chiefs went for it on fourth-and-goal from the 3, and Rashee Rice scored his second touchdown of the day on a spectacular catch.
Rice has eight catches for 92 yards, and Patrick Mahomes is 18-of-26 for 184 yards and three touchdowns.
The Chiefs drove 80 yards in 11 plays for the go-ahead score only nine seconds into the fourth quarter.
Kansas City has ruled out rookie left tackle Josh Simmons with a wrist injury and right tackle Jawaan Taylor with an elbow injury.
Bryan Cook is questionable to return with an ankle injury.
The Cowboys list cornerback DaRon Bland (left foot) and safety Malik Hooker (back) as questionable to return with injuries.
For a second consecutive week, the Cowboys fell behind. For the second consecutive week, the Cowboys dug out of their hole.
The deficit was less than the 21-0 the Cowboys trailed the Eagles last week. They were behind the Chiefs 7-0 and 14-7 but rallied for a 17-14 halftime lead.
Dak Prescott threw an interception on the third play from scrimmage, allowing the Chiefs to jump out front with a two-play, 37-yard drive. Rashee Rice scored on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes, who threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce on the Chiefs’ second drive.
The Chiefs punted on their final two drives of the half. Rookie left tackle Josh Simmons was a big reason his team failed to score on those two drives, with an illegal formation penalty and two holding penalties to put the Chiefs behind the sticks.
The Cowboys didn’t punt on their four drives, not counting a one-play drive to close out the half, and scored on three consecutive.
Prescott threw a 15-yard touchdown to CeeDee Lamb and Malik Davis ran for a 43-yard touchdown. The Cowboys also got a 49-yard field goal from Brandon Aubrey.
The Cowboys outgained the Chiefs 232 to 169, with Prescott going 16-of-22 for 160 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Lamb has five catches for 53 yards and a touchdown, and Davis has three carries for 47 yards and a touchdown.
Mahomes is 9-of-12 for 89 yards and two touchdowns, with Rice catching three for 41 yards and a touchdown. Kareem Hunt has eight carries for 45 yards.
The Cowboys have their first lead of the game, and the go-ahead touchdown was scored by someone no one expected.
Backup running back Malik Davis, who entered the game with 48 career rushes and one career touchdown, ran for a 43-yard touchdown to give the Cowboys a 17-14 lead.
Davis’ previous long run was 23 yards.
His run completed an eight-play, 85-yard drive.
Dak Prescott now has completed 16 of 22 passes for 160 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Dallas has scored on three of its four possessions, with Prescott’s pick on the third play from scrimmage the only drive it didn’t come away with points.
The Chiefs have scored on both of their first two possessions.
Their latest touchdown, which came with one second left in the first quarter, has given Kansas City a 14-7 lead over the Cowboys.
Travis Kelce caught a 2-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes for the go-ahead score.
The Chiefs went 72 yards in 12 plays for their second score after needing only two plays and 37 yards after Jaylen Watson’s interception of Dak Prescott.
Mahomes scrambled for 16 yards on third-and-14 from the Dallas 25.
Mahomes is 4-of-5 for 43 yards and two touchdowns, with Rashee Rice catching two for 31 yards and a touchdown.
Dak Prescott rebounded from throwing an interception on the first drive with a near-perfect second drive.
The Cowboys quarterback went 7-of-8 for 76 yards on the drive.
He threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb that has tied the game 7-7.
Jaylen Watson’s interception of Prescott on the first drive led to the Chiefs’ two-play drive that ended with Rashee Rice’s 27-yard touchdown reception.
Chiefs safety Bryan Cook appeared to injure his right ankle on the drive.
Dak Prescott threw his eighth interception of the season, and the Chiefs made him pay.
The Cowboys faced a third-and-4 on the third play of their opening drive. Jaden Hicks got to Prescott on a blitz, and Prescott’s pass was short of George Pickens and intercepted by cornerback Jaylen Watson.
Watson returned it 14 yards to the Dallas 37.
Patrick Mahomes completed a 10-yard pass to Hollywood Brown and a 27-yard touchdown pass to Rashee Rice.
With only 1:56 gone, the Chiefs lead 7-0.
