The Kansas City Chiefs approached Thursday night’s matchup against the Denver Broncos with a conservative plan, keeping the game close and hoping to grind out a win in the 2025 home finale.
But it was not
meant to be. Denver dominated time of possession and gained 303 yards to Kansas City’s 139 . In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t a disastrous night for the defense, which did what it could to keep the game within reach.
In the end, even a valiant final-drive push from tight end Travis Kelce could not overcome an offense short on answers. The battered unit did not have enough firepower to erase a fourth-quarter deficit, collecting a 20-13 loss that dropped the team’s record to 6-10.
Here are five things we learned from watching the Chiefs limp closer to the season’s finish line.
1. It felt like Travis Kelce’s last game at Arrowhead
Maybe it was the look of deep introspection in Kelce’s eyes every time the camera found him on the sideline.
Maybe it was the look in his mother’s eyes as she watched him high-five fans and walk off the field.
Maybe it was because Taylor Swift (and a full house) were there to watch an otherwise meaningless game in a lost season.
Maybe it was because the Chiefs tried to get him a few more targets on the last drive.
Maybe it was because what seemed like the entire Broncos team came over to hug him after the game.
Maybe it was how he dodged the question in his postgame interview.
Maybe it was all of it.
But it sure felt like the last time we’ll see No. 87 playing in Arrowhead.
And if it is, we all owe him a debt of gratitude for 13 seasons of greatness on the football field. He transformed himself from a flamboyant, moderately hot-headed guy with talent to a legendary leader — both in the locker room and in the community. There will never be another Travis Kelce — and if this was it, I wish it could have ended differently.
But we don’t usually get to write our own endings. We only get to choose how we get to them — and Kelce has done a hell of a job getting to this point.
2. Brashard Smith should be the Chiefs’ kick returner
God bless wide receiver Nicko Remigio. He is reliable. But this team lacks explosiveness in all three phases, and running back Brashard Smith showed he can handle the responsibility of being the primary kick returner — and pay dividends.
With Smith, you at least have the threat of a home-run return. With Remigio, you know he’s not going to drop the ball — but the 35-yard line is about the limit of how far he is going to take it.
3. The Chiefs need a playmaker at safety
Safety Bryan Cook is great at playing downhill and laying guys out, while safety Jaden Hicks is still developing. But Kansas City needs at least one safety who can cover a lot of ground and play in space. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme is at its best when he has a stud safety he can deploy as a movable chess piece — a guy who can cover in space, man up in the slot or blitz the quarterback on crucial downs.
In this game, coverage in space was the biggest issue. There were multiple times when the pass rush was getting to Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, only for Nix to find an easy dump-off in a soft part of the zone. If the Chiefs had a legitimate star on the back end, they might have gotten two to three more stops — and might have won the game.
4. The Chiefs need to get bigger at wide receiver
Let’s just call it like it is: if the Chiefs had a true X receiver on the roster, the final play of the game might have ended differently.
But they don’t, so the ball sailed over wide receiver Hollywood Brown’s head.
Winning contested catches has been an issue all season. It is another indicator of how hard it is for the Chiefs to make plays.
The receivers are not playing well enough. This is an offense without an identity — one that desperately needs to reevaluate everything.
5. There isn’t any quit in this team
Once Kansas City was out of the playoffs — and quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew went down for the count — it would have been easy for the team’s stars to check out.
But not a single player on this roster has given up.
This is evident in the effort Kelce put into the final drive — and how angry defensive tackle Chris Jones was with himself during his postgame interview.
Even with the season lost, these guys aren’t going down without a fight.
And that counts for something.
