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NFL Week 16 overreactions and reality checks: Quinn Ewers era already over in Miami? | CBS Sports
Chiefs loss shows how much Patrick Mahomes was carrying team
Overreaction vs. reality: Reality
The Kansas City Chiefs had another quarterback go down on Sunday, with Gardner Minshew leaving due to a knee injury, so the organization was truly playing with both arms tied behind its back offensively. That said, when watching them fall to the Tennessee Titans, it exposed how much Patrick Mahomes was propping
this roster up. With the face of the franchise out for the year due to a torn ACL, we saw the warts that this roster has. The offensive line struggles in pass protection, there are no true receiving threats (albeit with Rashee Rice injured for this game), and the defense just saw one of the worst offenses in the league move the ball at will for most of the afternoon. These final two weeks should be a wake-up call to the front office that, as generational as Mahomes is, he needs at least some talent at his disposal to get them back to the mountaintop.
B/R Experts Week 17 NFL Power Rankings | Bleacher Report
22. Kansas City Chiefs (6-9)
Last Week: 19
Week 16 Result: Lost 26-9 vs. Tennessee
The Kansas City Chiefs are borderline unwatchable with third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun under center.
Sunday, he took over for Gardner Minshew II, who suffered a knee injury, and according to ESPN’s Nate Taylor, the team fears it’s a torn ACL
Patrick Mahomes is out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, but Kansas City was on the brink of playoff elimination before he went down. The Chiefs’ Super Bowl hangover will lead to several roster changes in the offseason. – Moton
The lasting image from the Chiefs’ latest loss — this one without Patrick Mahomes | The Athletic
It didn’t matter that Pole was a rookie. Or that this was only his second NFL start. Or that he was the backup to the backup for the Chiefs at left tackle this season.
Humphrey and Smith, in particular, expected more from him.
“We’ve played a lot of ball here,” Humphrey said in the locker room afterward, “so it’s our job to be leaders.”
The attempt was even more important on Sunday, given the circumstances.
The Chiefs were not only out of playoff contention. They were also missing their true captain, as quarterback Patrick Mahomes was sitting out his first game after suffering a season-ending knee injury last week.
2026 NFL Mock Draft: Dolphins make franchise-altering trade to No. 1 for Fernando Mendoza | PFF
12. Kansas City Chiefs: RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
The Chiefs with quarterback Patrick Mahomes will always terrify offenses, which is why a dynamic running back would elevate the team in 2026.
Love has earned elite PFF overall grades of 91.1 and 92.9 over the past two seasons, and he averaged 4.5 yards after contact in 2025. He would instantly be the favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year if he landed in Kansas City.
NFL Week 16 grades: Steelers get B+ for wild win, Bills get C for sloppy victory | CBS Sports
F – Chiefs
If you’ve wondered what the Chiefs would look like without Patrick Mahomes, this is it. The offense was lifeless and things only went from bad to worse after third-string QB Chris Oladokun had to enter the game following an injury to Gardner Minshew. This was a meaningless game for a Chiefs (6-9) team that’s simply not used to playing in meaningless games and it showed.
Kyle Long comments on the Kansas City Chiefs’ disappointing season | Chiefs Wire
“Not only that, their sack numbers were down, and their ability to get after opposing quarterbacks has been a trademark. The fan club for Chris Jones is called ‘Sack Nation’. Well, they’ve been out to lunch all year, and it’s not just Chris Jones,” said Long, “He’s getting triple-teamed, double-teamed. That guy’s an incredible player. They don’t have enough juice on defense to stay in games the way they did last year. When somebody went out offensively, the defense would make a big play. They cover each other. That’s complimentary football. We didn’t see it from the Chiefs this year.”
Around the NFL
NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported that Metcalf plans to appeal the suspension, which is currently set to prevent him from playing in Pittsburgh’s Week 17 game against the Cleveland Browns and its regular-season finale against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18.
“Metcalf’s actions violate league policy, which specifies that ‘players may not enter the stands or otherwise confront fans at any time on game day and … if a player makes unnecessary physical contact with a fan in any way that constitutes unsportsmanlike conduct or presents crowd-control issues and/or risk of injury, he will be held accountable,'” the league said in a statement.
Video showed Metcalf approaching a male fan wearing a blue wig in the front row at Ford Field, grabbing him by the shirt and then swiping upward. It was unclear if Metcalf struck the fan.
Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey have big night against Colts | ESPN
The San Francisco 49ers‘ long wait to Monday night’s game against the Indianapolis Colts was made much easier when the Pittsburgh Steelers knocked off the Detroit Lions on Sunday night to wrap up the Niners’ spot in the NFC playoffs.
Lest the Niners appear content with simply punching their ticket to the dance, they trampled the Colts on Monday with much bigger goals in mind. At 11-4 and aided by the Seattle Seahawks‘ win against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night, the 49ers now have a direct line to the NFC’s top seed.
That path doesn’t take much explaining: If the 49ers win their next two games — home contests against the Chicago Bears and Seahawks — they will wrap up the NFC West division and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
5 things we learned from the Chiefs’ ugly Week 16 loss to the Titans
2. The Chiefs need a Plan C at quarterback for 2026
Entering Week 16, the final three games looked like a perfect audition for Gardner Minshew — a chance to prove he could serve as a bridge quarterback if Patrick Mahomes isn’t ready by Week 1 of 2026.
It looks like that plan is now off the table. Kansas City needs to figure out what comes next.
And no… it shouldn’t be Oladokun.
Whether it’s signing a veteran free agent such as Marcus Mariota or drafting a mid-round quarterback and handing him the reins early, the Chiefs face a difficult balancing act: finding a competent stopgap without wasting resources if Mahomes is able to return quickly.
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