Five things that stood out about the Chiefs’ loss to the Titans without Mahomes
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Patrick Mahomes absence exposed depth issues as Chiefs struggled to move ball.
- Injuries forced reliance on backups and highlighted gaps in roster development.
- Loss sealed first losing season since 2012 and boosts chance for high draft pick.
We’ve provided plenty of reminders that this Chiefs season won’t include a trip to the playoffs.
The latest reminder came on the field.
It was rough.
The Titans beat the Chiefs 26-9 in a hard-to-watch game Sunday.
For the first time since Andy Reid arrived as head coach, the Chiefs will finish the season with a losing record — and they’ll play yet two more games, already out of playoff contention.
That was another first Sunday.
Here are five observations from immediately after the game in Nashville:
1. The (other) quarterback(s)
The Chiefs were in a precarious quarterback position to open the game, with Patrick Mahomes watching from Kansas City following surgery Monday on his ACL and LCL.
That situation grew even more precarious in the first half.
Gardner Minshew left with a knee injury, leaving Chris Oladokun as the only healthy option on the roster. (The emergency quarterback, in case you’re interested, likely would have been tight end Noah Gray.)
I don’t know that we needed a reminder of the value of Patrick Mahomes, but we got one.
It was painful to watch the Kansas City offense, and that pain originated — figuratively and literally — at the quarterback position. Even before he left the game, Minshew demonstrated strange footwork on a couple of throws that should have been easy completions.
Oladokun flashed more ability than Minshew, but if Minshew is out for another week, the Chiefs are in a position they likely never imagined they’d be this season — needing to sign a quarterback just to fill out the roster.
2. The young players
A lengthy Chiefs injury report — it wasn’t just Mahomes who missed the trip — opened up a lot of snaps deeper down the depth chart.
But apparently still not enough for two rookies.
Fourth-round wide receiver Jalen Royals wasn’t part of the offensive game plan, despite injuries to Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton. And linebacker Jeffrey Bassa wasn’t part of the defensive rotation, despite the injury to starter Leo Chenal.
That’s ... confounding.
If they can’t play now, it’s a pretty clear indication of where they might be in their development.
But wouldn’t it be more beneficial to let them learn on the job rather than playing veterans who are extremely unlikely to be part of the mix after 2025?
The final three games should offer the Chiefs a chance to develop some young talent. They didn’t seem particularly interested in that chance.
3. The penalties
There are a lot of things the Mahomes absence excuses.
The penalties shouldn’t be one of them.
Sure, the offensive linemen need to get used to a new cadence, but that’s part of the job. So are penalties, apparently.
The Chiefs were whistled for five false start penalties — everyone on the offensive line committed at least one other than Creed Humphrey.
Esa Pole false-started twice in the first half, and he’s one of the players you’d like to see perform well over the last three games to solidify a backup swing tackle next year. Kingsley Suamataia and Pole got called for them on back-to-back snaps.
The combination of Suamataia and Pole also let Jeffery Simmons shoot into the backfield unblocked to tackle Kareem Hunt in the end zone for a safety, which for a while looked as though might be the only scoring we’d see. It resulted in a rear-end-chewing from teammate Trey Smith on the sideline. Speaking of which...
4. The leadership
Without Mahomes, I wondered who might provide the in-game leadership. But I didn’t think we’d literally see the answer.
We did.
Trey Smith and Creed Humphrey had some fiery words for teammates after the safety, which appeared to be the result of a lack of communication on the left side of the line. At that point, the Chiefs had possessed the ball four times and generated 27 yards.
We don’t yet know what the future holds for Travis Kelce, but it’s entirely possible he’s about to play his final game in Kansas City on Thursday, when the Broncos visit for Christmas night.
His absence wouldn’t just be felt on the field but in the locker room. The Chiefs have put a lot on Mahomes this season, and it’s part of the franchise quarterback’s role to be a leader.
But it helps to have help.
5. For the best?
I’m not advocating for the result.
I’m not excusing walking through a game.
I’m not telling you to root against a team you might have supported for years and years.
But the result? It’s for the best.
The Chiefs officially have their first losing season since 2012, a year that supplied a low point for a franchise.
It’s not a streak they want to see end. But I can’t figure much of any other reason that winning these last there games would be beneficial.
I can certainly think of one why it’s not:
The Chiefs are about to pick in the top half of the first round for the first time since they selected Patrick Mahomes, and that required a lot of capital to move into that position.
The requirement now is much easier, or at least the Chiefs made it look easy Sunday:
Lose.
This story was originally published December 21, 2025 at 3:00 PM.