The Kansas City Chiefs are limping to the finish line of the 2025 season. Week 15 — when quarterback Patrick Mahomes was injured and the postseason slipped away — felt like rock bottom. Sunday’s 26–9 loss to the Tennessee Titans somehow sank lower, and the Christmas Day matchup with the Denver Broncos threatens to set a new low.
Here are the winners and losers from a forgettable afternoon in Tennessee.
Winners
Running back Isiah Pacheco: He has absorbed plenty of criticism this season — much of it deserved
— but Sunday was a reminder that he can still provide value. Eight carries for 34 yards is hardly headline-worthy, yet he also led the team in receiving targets. With backups stacked upon backups, the offense leaned on him. These final games may double as an audition for his next stop — and passing game involvement certainly doesn’t hurt.
Linebacker Nick Bolton: The defense’s emotional leader did not shut it down. Bolton stayed engaged with another 10-tackle performance, adding both a sack and a tackle for loss while the rest of the roster faded.
Returner Nikko Remigio: It has been a difficult season for special teams across the board. Still, a 31-yard punt return counts as a genuine positive — even if it was a rare one.
The Arrowhead Pride draft team: It offers little comfort in the moment, but a potential top-10 pick is now firmly in play. Draft coverage is already underway — and it may soon become the most compelling part of the season.
Losers
Head coach Andy Reid: We are told the team is not tanking — yet Reid’s decisions continue to raise questions. Veterans logged snaps while younger players remained glued to the sideline. The offense produced 133 total yards, went 1-for-9 on third down, committed 10 penalties and surrendered a safety. That is not acceptable — even in a lost season. The Chiefs will finish 2025 with a losing record, a blemish on an otherwise dominant decade. This offseason will require serious self-scouting.
Quarterbacks Gardner Minshew and Chris Oladokun: Stepping in for Mahomes behind a battered offensive line is an impossible task. Still, once he went down, any lingering doubt about how much Mahomes carried this roster vanished. Minshew’s season ended after eight throws. Oladokun followed with effort but relatively little success, absorbing four sacks and repeatedly losing ground.
George Karlaftis, Mike Danna, Charles Omenihu and the Chiefs’ pass rush: This season may ultimately be remembered as one defined by almost. Pressures without finishes. Near sacks that never materialized. Drives that should have ended — but didn’t. With Chris Jones drawing constant attention, the surrounding rush failed to deliver consistently, turning opportunity into frustration.
Kicker Harrison Butker: Three made field goals included a 54-yarder — but another miss pushed him to the league lead in misses. That matters.
Tight end Travis Kelce: Four targets. One catch. Six yards. Minimal impact. However this career ends, it deserves more than drifting quietly through losses like this.
