You know what was awesome about Sunday’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers?
Nothing.
Here are a few players who stood out in the last meaningful game of the 2025 season in Kansas
City:
Winners
Tight end Travis Kelce: Retirement speculation will now dominate any conversation surrounding the 36-year old; Chiefs Kingdom may have seen the last chains-moving completion between Kelce and quarterback Patrick Mahomes. If so, it was glorious. On Sunday, Kelce continued to show he can still get the job done with 70 receiving yards over seven catches. 797 yards this season ranks Kelce second among NFL tight ends; he is a few solid performances away from an eighth 1,000-yard season. Undoubtedly, he should be the last player to wear 87 in franchise history.
Linebackers Drue Tranquill and Nick Bolton: Once again, Kansas City’s defense showed up and fought until the end. The Chargers were held under 100 yards rushing and 300 total yards on offense. The veteran linebackers combined for 25 tackles (two for loss) and two quarterback hits. Tranquill seemed to elevate his game against his former team. Bolton battled through multiple in-game injuries to do what he does best.
Defensive lineman Charles Omenihu: The pass rush impacted Los Angeles’ offense, hitting quarterback Justin Herbert 12 times and finishing four with a sack. Omenihu made his contribution with 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hits and a tackle for loss.
Gaining experience: One of the only silver linings from this 2025 season is the opportunity young players will have over the next three weeks. In the Mahomes era, the team has never been eliminated from playoff contention until now. Championship teams lean on veterans down the stretch, and non-playoff teams look to the future. For the remaining games, these players should be given the chance to prove useful for the future: safety Jaden Hicks, running back Breshard Smith, wide receiver Jalen Royals, cornerback Nohl Williams, linebacker Jeffrey Bassa, defensive back Kevin Knowles and tight end Jared Wiley.
Defensive lineman Ashton Gillotte: He’s one rookie who is getting better each week and making the most of his opportunities. Gillotte logged his first career interception on Sunday, earned half of a sack for the second straight week, registered another hit and batted a pass down. He has a relentless motor and is showing his value for the future.
Losers
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes: Once again, the two-time MVP did what he could to will this team to victory. Once again, it wasn’t enough. After an early rushing touchdown, the offense had 4 three-and-outs over the next ten possessions. The fourth quarter — when Mahomes used to save the day — started with a red-zone interception on third-and-12. With five minutes left, the Chiefs’ offense pushed past midfield before Mahomes went down. Being helped off the field with a torn ACL was a sickening, but fitting end to what had to be the most frustrating season of his professional career.
Offensive linemen not named Creed Humphrey or Kingsley Suamataia: Without a detailed rewatch, it’s hard to tell where the offensive line struggles were this week. But we can safely assume it was everyone outside of the center and left guard. No team is deep enough to overcome the amount of injuries Kansas City has suffered, but the depth wasn’t good enough to give the offense a fighting chance against the Chargers. Mahomes was sacked five times before leaving injured. The running backs totaled 34 yards on 19 carries. The ineffectiveness started up front.
Running back Isiah Pacheco: Acknowledging the injuries up front, running back Isiah Pacheco was still ineffective this week with 11 carries amounting to 21 yards. Kareem Hunt didn’t fare any better, but was able to convert in short yardage. Clearly, the Chiefs need a back who can move the chains in long yardage too.
Wide Receivers Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Tyquan Thornton: These three are the only wide receivers who caught a pass against Los Angeles. They each also took brutal hits from a defense ready to inflict pain. The throws may have put them in exposed positions, but it was just maddening to see the pass game flail as Mahomes tried to keep plays alive — only to find no open targets. This was the most talented receiver room in recent memory, and they were still not good enough. In 2026, the Chiefs need to employ more receivers who can fight for the ball and make themselves available to Mahomes more easily. This trio should be back as part of the solution, but as a whole, they weren’t prepared to respond to the Chargers’ physical coverage.
Head coach Andy Reid: Sometimes, it takes hitting rock bottom for even the best coaches to realize change is necessary, even if that means taking a short-term step back. Hopefully, this is rock bottom for this era of the Chiefs. Reid should take this opportunity to reimagine the offense and address some issues that have plagued them for years. Again this week, we saw too many penalties, not enough creativity, too much reliance on Mahomes creating, and an unimpactful run game. It is not reasonable to call for Reid to be fired, but t shake things up.
Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy, Special Teams Coordinator Dave Toub, Pass Game Coordinator Joe Bleymaier, Running Backs coach Todd Pinkston: Moving forward under Reid’s leadership, someone is going to have to answer for this team’s struggles. Blame might fall on these assistant coaches for not contributing enough to player development, game planning, and innovation. Reid, like Mahomes, can’t do everything on his own; he needs a staff that challenges the status quo and pushes everyone forward. Fair or not, the outcome of this season likely means some substantial changes.
Please note: the labels “winners” and “losers” are not judgments of talent or character. They simply reflect single-game performance. No disrespect is intended.
