Five things that stood out about the Chiefs’ loss to Raiders in season finale
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chiefs finish 6-11, six-game skid ends season; offseason changes expected.
- Travis Kelce faces uncertain future after this season; career milestones remain.
- Rookie Nohl Williams emerges as starter; McDuffie and Watson decisions gain urgency.
The worst Chiefs season in a decade is now in the past.
The future? It will include some change.
The Raiders kicked a game-winning 60-yard field goal to beat the Chiefs 14-12 on Sunday, sending Kansas City into the offseason with a six-game losing streak. The Chiefs finished 6-11.
We’ll have plenty of opportunity to talk about what’s next — about how the Chiefs respond to a season defined by its disappointment.
For now, here are five observations from immediately after the season finale:
1. The swan song for Travis Kelce?
OK, but first one more thing about the future.
Kind of.
We don’t know yet whether Travis Kelce just played in his final NFL game. If he did, he’ll retire as the most accomplished skill position player in Chiefs history — their all-time leader in catches, yards and touchdowns.
If.
That’s the most pressing storyline to follow.
But let’s take a moment to appreciate the season he had.
Kelce had a quiet season finale, though he did pass 13,000 yards receiving for his career. But he still put up one of the best seasons ever for a tight end age-36 or older — in fact, it is the best for anyone not named Tony Gonzalez.
Kelce spent the offseason working to get in better shape than he was the year before, and both he and the Chiefs saw the benefit of it. He was a weapon with the ball in his hands again.
He averaged 5.9 yards after the catch this season, which is actually better than his career average — and a significant jump on the career-low 3.5 yards he put up in that statistic a year ago. He forced nine missed tackles after the catch, triple what he did a year earlier.
Maybe he’s proven to himself he can still do this when he puts in the offseason work.
With the Chiefs absent from the playoffs, it gives him a tad more time to think on it, if time is what he needs.
2. A backfield burst
It’s almost bizarre seeing the Chiefs offense operate with some burst at the running-back spot because they haven’t had it all year.
It’s certainly bizarre this is the first time we’ve seen the Chiefs start the player who would provide that burst.
Brashard Smith had 12 carries for 56 yards. He had 35 yards in the first quarter, the most by a Chiefs running back all season.
Look, I’m certainly not advocating that Smith is a future feature running back. In fact, I believe he’s likely more of a gadget and situational player.
But given the Chiefs were eliminated from playoff contention three weeks ago, the regular-season finale should not have been the initial time they made him a featured part of their game plan.
Might as well see what you have.
There’s something there, even if the Raiders are pretty terrible. But the Chiefs would like Smith to put on more weight this offseason if he wants to take on a larger role.
3. The Chris Oladokun evaluation
Chris Oladokun has considered his three-game stint at quarterback for the Chiefs an audition for his NFL future.
He probably didn’t win many over.
Oladokun had a brutal first half in Las Vegas — before Shane Buechele replaced him in the second half and generated the best drive the Chiefs had. Oladokun fumbled twice, the first of which was inexplicable.
But the real issue is his inability — or maybe unwillingness — to push the ball down the field. He didn’t complete a pass of more than 10 yards past the line of scrimmage in either of the last two weeks.
The tape won’t exactly prompt a flurry of offseason offers for a primary backup job.
My bet? He’s back with the Chiefs at training camp, competing for the practice squad spot, which basically serves as the emergency quarterback.
4. The bright spot
The Chiefs did get something from these final three games.
Nohl Williams looks the part.
Williams, the third-round rookie cornerback, has played as a starter down the stretch, with the Chiefs sitting both Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. Williams looks like a future starter, and it looks like that future should arrive immediately.
That might — should — impact with the decisions the Chiefs have on McDuffie and Watson. McDuffie is entering the final year of his rookie deal, a fifth-year option, and Watson is a free agent. With Williams on a rookie contract, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to spend a lot on two cornerbacks. And the Chiefs would be wise to at least explore what the trade market might be for McDuffie, who would immediately become the best cornerback available.
McDuffie has been terrific in Kansas City. It’s not about that.
It’s about this: Williams looks ready.
He plays a physical brand of football, a requirement in the Steve Spagnuolo scheme. Williams is not only unafraid to get involved in the running game but seems to seek it out.
5. Why the result matters
The Raiders’ Daniel Carlson kicked a career-best 60-yard field goal with 8 seconds left to win.
The Chiefs should have celebrated it along with him.
The result moved them up two spots in the draft.
They will now pick ninth, instead of 11th.
It will be their most important pick since the last time they picked in the top half of the first round — 2017.
You remember that pick, right? They took the quarterback from Texas Tech who would change the trajectory of their franchise.
Patrick Mahomes won’t be waiting at the ninth selection, but the Chiefs haven’t made a selection in the top 20 since that pick in 2017.
This has value they haven’t had in nine years.
They can’t afford to miss.
This story was originally published January 4, 2026 at 6:38 PM.