By Matthew SchmidtShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberThe Kansas City Chiefs shockingly fell to 6-6 with their loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, and now, their path to the playoffs just became that much more difficult.
The Chiefs are four games behind the Denver Broncos for first place in the AFC West and are also two games back of a Wild Card spot, and the problem is that all three Wild Card teams currently own tiebreakers over Kansas City.
Read more: Raiders’ Pete Carroll Receives Brutal Outlook on NFL Future
It's looking more and more like the Chiefs' run of 10 straight playoff appearances is about to come to an unceremonious end, this even though Kansas City ranks in the top 10 in offense, defense and point differential.
So what exactly is the problem for the Chiefs? Why do they seem likely to miss the postseason? An NFL executive revealed a major issue to Mike Sando of The Athletic: Kansas City's pass rush.
"At the end of the day, I think you will see (a lack of pass rush) come back to bite them," the exec said.
The Chiefs didn't record a single sack against the Cowboys and have amassed a grand total of 22 sacks on the season, which ranks 27th in the NFL.
...George Karlaftis leads Kansas City with five sacks. Chris Jones is second with three. That simply is not enough to get it done, and for reference, the Chiefs ranked second in the league with 57 sacks during their last Super Bowl-winning campaign in 2023-24.
Kansas City has certainly experienced a myriad of problems in 2025. Patrick Mahomes has not quite looked himself, the wide receivers have been inconsistent, and the running game has been pedestrian, at best.
And while the Chiefs still rank ninth in the NFL in yards allowed, they have been having trouble getting stops in key moments, which was on full display against Dallas on Thanksgiving.
Read more: Chiefs ‘Conspiracy’ Buzz Surfaces Following Crushing Cowboys Loss
The Chiefs have not only made the playoffs each year for the last decade, but they have also won nine straight division titles. Barring a catastrophic Broncos collapse coupled with a massive run by Kansas City, that streak will come to an end this season.
The Chiefs will certainly have a whole lot of soul searching to do during the offseason.
For more on the Kansas City Chiefs and general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
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