While the Kansas City Chiefs’ 20-10 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday is leading some fans to believe the 2025 season is over, there are still games to be played — and even if Kansas City no longer
controls it, a narrow path to the postseason remains.
To keep their postseason hopes alive, the Chiefs must win all of their remaining games — beginning with the AFC West rematch against the Los Angeles Chargers this Sunday on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Their Week 1 meeting in São Paulo, Brazil — a 27-21 Chargers victory — proved to be an early indicator of Kansas City’s 2025 struggles.
On the third play from scrimmage, tight end Travis Kelce collided with wide receiver Xavier Worthy, dislocating Worthy’s shoulder and derailing the offense before it could settle in — while the defense struggled to respond.
That opening loss snapped the Chiefs’ seven-game winning streak against the Chargers. But the 9-4 Los Angeles squad is still preparing for a tough matchup with the defending conference champions, who are coming into Sunday’s game with a 6-7 record.
“It’s that time of the season where everybody’s competing,” Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters on Wednesday. “Everybody’s fighting for their playoff lives — their football lives — and that’s what it’s going to be. It’s going to be a great — and glorious — competitive environment.”
“They’re still a very good football team,” noted Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert, who expects to face the usual hostile environment. “We have a ton of respect for them — and they’re much better than their record indicates. They’ve played a lot of close games — a lot of tough games.”
Herbert is 3-7 in his career against the Chiefs — and expects a physical, tightly-contested matchup.
“You’re not going to go in there and dominate any team just willy-nilly,” he said. “They’re very good — and we have to be on our stuff this week: watching film and having good practices.”
While Kansas City is currently outside the playoff field, just one of its losses has been by more than a single score. It should expect more of the same on Sunday, since the team’s last four meetings with the Chargers have been decided by one score.
During their dynastic run, the Chiefs have repeatedly found ways to finish close games against Los Angeles. Can they find their way back to that? Their season now depends on it.
