Patrick Mahomes walked off the field at Arrowhead Stadium with a look Chiefs Kingdom hasn’t seen in a long time. The Chiefs are now 6–7 after a frustrating Sunday Night loss to the Houston Texans. And suddenly the playoff road looks steep. The mistakes stacked up, and after the game, Mahomes didn’t hide from the truth.

In the post-game, he pointed directly at the costly errors from Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice. Multiple drive-killing drops from Rice and Kelce destroyed any rhythm the Chiefs tried to build. Instead of first downs, they got punts. Instead of momentum, they gave Houston life. Mahomes addressed it calmly, but the frustration was right there under the surface.

“I don’t have to say anything. I mean, he’s a champion for a reason. He knows what it takes, and he’s made that play 99% of the time,” Mahomes said, referring to Travis Kelce. “And I gotta give him a better chance with the ball, maybe more on his body. So I mean, I’ll never question that. I’m gonna go to those guys in big moments.”

He went on to say, “Those guys have made plays in the Super Bowls. They’ve made plays in the AFC Championship Games. So obviously, it didn’t go our way today. I had a lot to do with that myself.”

Those words felt like both protection and accountability. However, it was impossible to ignore what happened. Kansas City got slowed down by brutal drops all night. One of Mahomes’ interceptions bounced right off Kelce and into the hands of Azeez Al-Shaair. The Silver and Blue defense took advantage.

And late in the fourth, Kelce let another easy one hit the turf as Mahomes threw out of the end zone under pressure. Rice had his own rough night. Kansas City totaled six drops, and Rice took a massive hit on one. Later, he let a fourth-down ball go right through him.

Finally, Andy Reid faced heat for going for it on fourth from his own 41. It failed and set up CJ Stroud for the go-ahead touchdown. The Chiefs’ offense never recovered, and Mahomes couldn’t find his rhythm either.

Patrick Mahomes struggles as playoff hopes shrink

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are in a spot nobody in Chiefdom expected. The Chiefs fell 20-10 to Houston at Arrowhead Stadium, and with it went their AFC West hopes. Suddenly, the team is in survival mode. Then it got worse.

Mahomes finished the night with just 14 completions on 33 attempts for 160 yards with 0 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. It was the first time this season he tossed three picks and the first since December 11, 2022, against Denver.

His completion percentage sat at 42.4 percent, the lowest of his entire career. Yet not every throw was on him. Kansas City dropped six passes. And the final blow came when Travis Kelce misplayed a key moment that sealed it for Houston. The reaction around Arrowhead said it all.

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Now the reality hits hard. The AFC West belongs to someone else for the first time in nine years. The Broncos or Chargers are now the likeliest candidates to win the AFC West. The Chiefs’ streak of division titles stops at nine, the second-longest run ever. And at 6-7, this is their worst record through 13 games since 2012.

So now the pressure grows. Next week becomes everything.