Patrick Mahomes and the Thanksgiving playoff mission
Kansas City enters Thanksgiving week clinging to postseason hopes as divisional games against Denver and Los Angeles loom large.
The 2025 NFL season has arrived at the stretch where every result shapes the race for the postseason. Right now, Kansas City sits at 6–5 in third place in the AFC West, trailing Denver (9–2) and Los Angeles (7–4).
| Divisional Leaders | Wild Card Positions | In the Fight |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots (10-2) | AFC East | Los Angeles Chargers (7-4) | AFC West | Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5) | AFC North |
| Denver Broncos (9-2) | AFC West | Buffalo Bills (7-4) | AFC East | Houston Texans (6-5) | AFC South |
| Indianapolis Colts (8-3) | AFC South | Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4) | AFC South | Kansas City Chiefs (6-5) | AFC West |
| Baltimore Ravens (6-5) | AFC North | Miami Dolphins (4-7) | AFC East |
AFC West standings
- Denver Broncos | 9-2
- Los Angeles Chargers | 7-4
- Kansas City Chiefs | 6-5
- Las Vegas Raiders | 2-9
This Thanksgiving, in Week 13, Kansas City heads to Arlington, Texas, to face Dallas at AT&T Stadium. The team goes in energized after a comeback win over Indianapolis at Arrowhead Stadium.
Dallas, meanwhile, stands at 5–5–1. With Dak Prescott leading the way, the Cowboys arrive on a two-game streak, the latest a dramatic rally against division rivals Philadelphia.
What do the Chiefs need to secure their playoff berth?
The path forward for Kansas City is simple – stack wins to stay alive in the division race or secure a wild-card spot. After beating Indianapolis, their playoff probability jumped to 58 percent; a loss would have dropped it to just 28 percent.
Chiefs’ remaining schedule
- W13 - Dallas Cowboys | AT&T Stadium
- W14 - Houston Texans | Arrowhead Stadium
- W15 - Los Angeles Chargers | Arrowhead Stadium
- W16 - Tennessee Titans | Nissan Stadium
- W17 - Denver Broncos | Arrowhead Stadium
- W18 - Las Vegas Raiders | Allegiant Stadium
Week 15 against Los Angeles and Week 17 against Denver will be pivotal. Both opponents sit above Kansas City in the standings, and those games could decide whether the Chiefs surge into the postseason or fall short.
AFC playoff picture after the Chiefs took down the Colts 👀 pic.twitter.com/vsdcsU43Ro
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) November 23, 2025
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