Well… the waking nightmare that has been the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2025 season is finally, officially over.
It’s not hyperbole to say that Sunday’s 14–12 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders was one of the worst
professional football games I’ve had the misfortune of witnessing. For much of the contest, both teams seemed to be trying to one-up each other’s offensive ineptitude. Neither team managed to get much going through the air — and that’s putting it nicely, considering the teams combined for just 170 passing yards.
In the end, the difference was a fourth-quarter safety that gave the Raiders two extra points and set up a 60-yard field goal from Las Vegas kicker Daniel Carlson to win the game.
Here are five things we learned from a Chiefs season finale we’d rather forget.
1. If this was Travis Kelce’s last game, he deserved better
For someone who has given everything to this franchise and its fans, it felt unjust that this could have been the superstar tight end’s final game with Kansas City.
He is the greatest tight end to ever play football.
He is arguably on the Mount Rushmore of all-time Chiefs — and a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
His name will one day adorn the Ring of Honor.
He deserved a hero’s sendoff — a walk to the sideline accompanied by a cheering crowd and a standing ovation.
He deserved a game plan designed to give him a victory lap and one final bow.
Instead, he was paired with one quarterback who couldn’t get through his reads quickly enough — and another who was either being sacked or having his passes tipped at the line of scrimmage.
It was brutal. It was heartbreaking.
He should have had 16 targets. Instead, he had six.
He should have had 120 receiving yards. He had 12.
He should have gotten his swan song.
Instead, Travis Kelce faded into the silence of the sideline.
And in that silence, one of the greatest careers in NFL history may have come to an end.
2. Chris Oladokun and Shane Buechele are not the answer at backup quarterback
The Chiefs will be in the market for a new backup quarterback — and possibly a new third-stringer — this offseason. If this game taught us anything, it’s that Oladokun and Buchele are not NFL-caliber options. And if we’re being honest, Gardner Minshew didn’t exactly look electric before injuring his knee in Week 16 against the Tennessee Titans.
With the status of franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes — who tore his ACL against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15 — still uncertain, the Chiefs must proceed as if he will not be available to start the 2026 season.
That reality raises the bar. This can’t just be a “break glass in case of emergency” option. Kansas City needs someone capable of winning games and keeping the team competitive until Mahomes returns — however long that takes.
3. The Chiefs have decisions to make in the secondary
Trent McDuffie is the best cornerback on this roster. The Chiefs must decide whether extending his contract aligns with their long-term interests.
The reality is that Kansas City is set to lose multiple defensive backs this offseason. The team could opt to retain a player like Jaylen Watson at a lower cost and roll with Watson, Nohl Williams and Kristian Fulton as its top three cornerbacks next season.
The case for that approach is simple: the roster has too many needs to ignore the draft capital a McDuffie trade could return. Unfortunately, neither Watson or Fulton have shown they can be relied upon for a full 17-game season.
4. The Chiefs needed more out of this draft class
While injuries are complicating the evaluations of draft selections like Josh Simmons and Omarr Norman-Lott, the team didn’t get enough from players such as Jeff Bassa, Ashton Gillotte and Jalen Royals, either.
Nohl Williams emerged as a bright spot at cornerback, while Brashard Smith remains difficult to judge given the expectations attached to a seventh-round pick.
Overall, it was a disappointing year for the rookie class.
If the Chiefs hope to return to form next season, they’ll need to far surpass what this group provided.
5. This team is at a crossroads
Empires rise and fall — and very few ever rise again.
If the Chiefs want to avoid the fate of the Roman, Persian, Mongol, Ottoman, British, Inca, Aztec, and countless other dynasties, they must reinvent themselves entirely.
The old guard has fallen. The old general’s tactics have been defeated.
It’s time for a new guard to rise — for tacticians to survey the battlefield and invent new ways to inflict harm.
Although this war was lost, a time will come when the drums will beat again.
And on that day, this dynasty will be rebuilt anew.
