It will be Chris Oladokun the rest of the way for the Chiefs as they play the Titans on Sunday.
Gardner Minshew has been downgraded to out for Kansas City, as the club is down 16-6 to the Titans in the third quarter in Week 16.
Minshew appeared to be hobbled after the Chiefs’ first drive on Sunday. But he stayed in for the next few possessions until he was examined on the sideline and removed from the game.
Minshew was 3-of-8 for 15 yards at the time of his exit.
Should something happen to Oladokun, Noah Gray is Kansas City’s emergency third quarterback, according to the CBS broadcast.
The Titans were able to go up 9-3 with a 7-yard touchdown pass by Cam Ward late in the first half. While Harrison Butker’s 41-yard field goal made the score 9-6, Titans, at halftime, Tennessee then expanded its advantage with a 1-yard TD from Ward to receiver Chimere Dike to make the score 16-6.
Chiefs Clips
The Chiefs are dealing with another injury at quarterback.
Gardner Minshew is questionable to return with a knee injury suffered during the first half of Kansas City’s matchup with Tennessee.
Minshew had looked like he’d been hobbled at the end of the team’s first drive, but initially stayed in the game. But new backup Chris Oladokun ended up coming in for him on Kansas City’s fifth offensive possession, leading the team to a field goal.
Minshew was 3-of-8 for 15 yards at the time of his exit.
Tight end Noah Gray is Kansas City’s emergency third quarterback, should something happen to Oladokun.
Additionally, Titans cornerback Marcus Harris is questionable to return with a knee injury.
It doesn’t look like there are going to be many points in Sunday’s matchup between the Chiefs and Titans, but two have been registered early in the second quarter.
Veteran defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons brought down Kareem Hunt in the end zone for a safety, giving Tennessee a 2-0 lead.
Hunt was stopped dead in his tracks on a first-and-11 play and had no shot to get out of the paint.
Simmons came off the left side of the line to make the play. Center Creed Humphrey and right guard Trey Smith were shown on the CBS broadcast clearly upset with someone for allowing the play to happen that way.
The Chiefs have been able to record just two first downs on their four possessions so far on Sunday.
The Bills will try to wrap up a playoff berth without the help of wide receiver Keon Coleman on Sunday.
Coleman is inactive for Buffalo’s game in Cleveland. Coleman was not on the injury report at all this week, but will miss his third game of the season. Coleman was scratched for disciplinary reasons earlier this year, but Cameron Wolfe of NFL Media reports Sunday’s deactivation is solely a coach’s decision. Coleman was a 2024 second-round pick and he has 36 catches for 355 yards and four touchdowns this season.
Mecole Hardman, who was activated from injured reserve this week, is active.
The Bills need a win and a loss by either the Texans or Colts in order to book a playoff berth. A win will also help their chances of ending the season as the AFC East champs for the sixth straight season.
Bills at Browns
Bills: WR Keon Coleman, WR Gabe Davis, DT Jordan Phillips, K Matt Prater, OL Tylan Grable, DB Darnell Savage, DT Larry Ogunjobi
Browns: CB Denzel Ward, RB Dylan Sampson, DT Mike Hall Jr., G Wyatt Teller, WR Jamari Thrash, TE David Njoku, DT Sam Kamara
Buccaneers at Panthers
Buccaneers: QB Connor Bazelak, TE Devin Culp, G Elijah Klein, WR Sterling Shepard, DL Elijah Simmons, LB Anthony Walker, S Rashad Wisdom
Panthers: WR Hunter Renfrow, LB Trevin Wallace, S Demani Richardson, DT Jared Harrison-Hunte, OT Ikem Ekwonu, TE James Mitchell, DT Tershawn Wharton
Jets at Saints
Jets: QB Justin Fields, TE Mason Taylor, DT Mazi Smith, LB Kiko Mauigoa, DT Payton Page, DE Eric Watts
Saints: RB Alvin Kamara, OL Cesar Ruiz, OL Asim Richards, TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden, S Ugo Amadi, CB Rejzohn Wright, DT Khristian Boyd
Chiefs at Titans
Chiefs: WR Rashee Rice, CB Trent McDuffie, OT Jaylon Moore, WR Tyquan Thornton, RB Dameon Pierce, OL CJ Hanson, DT Derrick Nnadi
Titans: OL Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, OL Garrett Dellinger, OL Drew Moss, DL Cam Horsley, LB Cedric Gray, S Erick Hallett
Chargers at Cowboys
Chargers: WR Derius Davis, S RJ Mickens, EDGE Bud Dupree, OL Branson Taylor, OT Trey Pipkins, TE Tyler Conklin
Cowboys: DT Quinnen Williams, WR Jalen Tolbert, CB Caelen Carson, RB Jaydon Blue, DT Jay Toia, OT Tyler Guyton
Vikings at Giants
Vikings: LB Austin Keys, DT Javon Hargrave, OT Walter Rouse, QB John Wolford
Giants: LB Caleb Murphy, WR Ryan Miller, WR Jalin Hyatt, LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, G Jon Runyan, DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches, QB Russell Wilson
Bengals at Dolphins
Bengals: QB Jake Browning, WR Charlie Jones, DB Brayln Lux, S P.J. Jules, DE Joseph Ossai, TE Noah Fant, DT Jordan Jefferson
Dolphins: S Minkah Fitzpatrick, WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, CB Isaiah Johnson, T Kendall Lamm, WR Tahj Washington, DT Matthew Butler, QB Tua Tagovailoa
Chargers safety Tony Jefferson, who caught the game winning interception in Week 14 against the Eagles, has caught a pair of fines for infractions from Week 15 in Kansas City.
The league has penalized Jefferson $7,111 for the hit on a defenseless receiver that prompted his ejection from the game. He was fined another $7,111 for a double-barreled holiday greeting to the folks at Arrowhead Stadium.
Jefferson later apologized for the middle fingers, but not for the hit.
“I was caught up in the moment,” Jefferson said. “I’m classier than that.”
Jefferson and the Chargers return to action on Sunday, against the Cowboys in Dallas. Owner Jerry Jones has proven he’s not classier than that.
Oh wait, his Week 5 middle finger was accidental.
The Chiefs have made several moves on Saturday in advance of their Week 16 matchup against the Titans.
Kansas City has placed offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor and linebacker Leo Chenal on injured reserve, which will end the season for both players.
Taylor has been sidelined by an elbow injury and has not played since the Chiefs’ Thanksgiving Day loss to the Cowboys.
It’s fair to wonder if Taylor has now played his last game with Kansas City. While he is under contract for 2026, Taylor does not have any guaranteed money left on his contract, and his release would result in $20 million in savings against the cap for 2026.
Taylor has started 45 games for Kansas City since signing with the club as a free agent in 2023. He played his first four seasons with Jacksonville.
The Chiefs have also waived running back Elijah Mitchell to create another roster spot.
As corresponding moves, the Chiefs have signed offensive tackle Chukwuebuka Godrick, quarterback Chris Oladokun, and running back Dameon Pierce to the 53-man roster.
Additionally, the club has elevated linebacker Cole Christiansen and offensive tackle Matt Waletzko to the active roster for Sunday.
There’s a long line of Chiefs who have been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Titans.
Among pass catchers, receivers Rashee Rice (concussion) and Tyquan Thornton (concussion) are both out after they were not able to practice all week.
Top cornerback Trent McDuffie (knee) will also miss another game. He was limited for Thursday’s session but did not participate on Wednesday and Friday.
Linebacker Leo Chenal (shoulder), offensive tackle Jaylon Moore (knee), offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor (elbow), tight end Jake Briningstool (hamstring), cornerback Nazeeh Johnson (shoulder), and defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (illness) have also been ruled out.
With so many players sidelined, it stands to reason that the Chiefs will need to make some Saturday roster moves for depth.
Chiefs-Titans is set for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff in Nashville on Sunday.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce knows that the team will not be going to the playoffs this season, but that has not changed his plans when it comes to addressing whether he’ll continue playing in 2026.
Kelce, who is not under contract beyond this season, said earlier this year that he plans to make a decision about retirement before free agency gets underway next March. At a Friday press conference, Kelce said that his focus remains on the present when he was asked if he has given any thought to the fact that he might have played his final game with quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“I’d rather keep the focus of the media and everything on this team right now,” Kelce said. “All the conversations I have with the team and everything moving forward will be with them. I think it’s a unique time in my life. Unfortunately I’ve got three games left and I know when the season ends this year. Typically we go into it and we don’t know when it’s going to end and that’s the beauty of it. Just trying to make sure that everybody here knows that I’m focused on trying to win football games, these last three games.”
The Chiefs will play the first of those three games in Tennessee on Sunday and they’ll have their final home game of the season against the Broncos in Week 17. Kelce’s plans may not be known before that contest, but it seems likely that the home crowd will take a moment to salute the longtime star in the event it is the last time he’s on that field.
On the playing field, the Chiefs are suddenly at a crossroads. When it comes to where their playing field will be, they continue to be.
Missouri and Kansas are pursuing the Chiefs, with Missouri hoping to renovate Arrowhead Stadium and Kansas hoping to build a new domed stadium.
Via the Kansas City Star, the Kansas Legislative Coordinating Council will meet on Monday to discuss the ongoing talks with the team. Kansas Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a member of the LCC, told the Star, “It is my understanding that the Chiefs and Kansas have been in negotiation and they will bring what they have agreed on to the LCC.”
The Kansas Department of Commerce separately told the Star that, although it is “aggressively pursuing” a new stadium for the Chiefs, no “final agreement” has been reached with the team. (Which perhaps implies that a non-final agreement has indeed been negotiated.)
Although details are scarce, the Star explains that Monday’s meeting of the LCC could shed significant light on the extent, and seriousness, of the team’s talks with Kansas.
Missouri remains in the mix, too. “I continue to have really good conversations with [the] Chiefs, and I am confident they enjoy being in Jackson County, and they’d like to stay in Jackson County,” Jackson County executive Phil LeVota told the Star. “But I understand they’re a business, so I’m going to keep pushing and advocating for the Chiefs to remain in Jackson County.”
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a press release that the city “does not negotiate in public.”
It sounds as if the Chiefs have been doing plenty of private negotiating with Kansas. On Monday, something potentially significant could be made public.
Despite the team’s long history at Arrowhead Stadium, a domed facility in Kansas would unlock the opportunity to host events throughout the year, including a potential Super Bowl.
As it stands for the rest of 2025, Patrick Mahomes is out, and Gardner Minshew is in.
The veteran backup is set to start the Chiefs’ last three games at quarterback after Mahomes suffered a torn ACL during the Week 15 loss to the Chargers.
Minshew noted that it’s been an emotional week given Mahomes’ injury and the reality that’s set in that the club will miss the postseason for the first time in a decade.
“But you know what, you are where you’re at and we have to turn this thing around and go get a win this week,” Minshew said in his Wednesday press conference. “So, that’s where we are.”
While Minshew has bounced around since the Jaguars selected him in the sixth round of the 2019 draft, he’s started at least two games per year since entering the league. That is now set to continue with Kansas City through the last three weeks of the season.
“It’s an opportunity to step in and do my job,” Minshew said. “Being how there’s a lot of guys that have put a ton of work into this. I owe it to them; I owe it to this coaching staff, this team, this fan base to go out and do my best to give us the best chance to win.”
Last season with Las Vegas, Minshew appeared in 10 games with nine starts, completing 66.3 percent of his passes for 2,013 yards with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Minshew will face the Titans, Broncos, and Raiders to finish out 2025 for the Chiefs.
