Chiefs News 12/2: The Chiefs have the stats, but not the points

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Chiefs Quote of the Day

“We do have stats, but you need points. You need to make sure you take care of business when you’re in the red zone.  If you need to score 35, you score 35.  [And] if you need to score 20, you need to make sure that you have more points than they have. That’s all three phases — it includes everybody.

“You saw it in this last game: you pick up a play here or there — and that’s the difference in the game.  That’s where we’re at right now. We’ve got to flip that around.  To do that, you’ve got to take care of some of these issues.  Then it’s a different ball game. But you have to do it. I can stand here and talk about it, but you have got to go do it.”

— Head coach Andy Reid on reconciling the team’s statistics with its record

2025 NFL playoff picture: AFC, NFC seed projections, chances | ESPN

The Titans and Raiders are officially eliminated from playoff contention, which makes the AFC South and AFC West three-horse races ahead of Week 15. In the South, the Texans pulled off a big win over the Colts in C.J. Stroud‘s first game back from a concussion (and moved to a four-game win streak), while the Jaguars enjoyed a great performance from Trevor Lawrence (229 passing yards and two passing touchdowns) beating Tennessee 25-3.

The Chiefs‘ loss to the Cowboys on Thanksgiving plummeted their playoff chances, one week after they tried to right the ship with an overtime win over Indy. The Broncos and Chargers kept pace on Sunday by winning their games (L.A. beating Vegas, and Denver defeating the Commanders in overtime), and the Patriots can strengthen their hold on the AFC with a win on “Monday Night Football.”

Chiefs’ season hanging by a thread, plus game balls and gaffes from NFL Week 13 | CBS Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs may want to steal the wishbone from their Thanksgiving turkey. They need all the help they can get as their playoff hopes are fleeting, with Week 13 potentially serving as the first official nail in their coffin.

Of course, going back to Thanksgiving, the loss to the Cowboys in Dallas didn’t help them in their pursuit of clawing back in the playoff picture. Kansas City is now back to .500 on the year at 6-6, and a path forward to ultimately lead them to the postseason got even more complicated thanks to the rest of the events of Week 13. Essentially, every team that Kansas City would like to see lose won, further distancing itself in the playoff race.

Currently, the Chiefs are the No. 10 seed in the AFC, and two games back in the loss column for the No. 7 seed. However, Kansas City is on the wrong end of several key tiebreaker scenarios, so simply drawing even with some of these wild-card clubs might not cut it.

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce continues to rack up points in his career | Chiefs Wire

The Kansas City Chiefs fell short on Thanksgiving Day against the Dallas Cowboys, but their superstar tight end, Travis Kelce, further etched his name in history with his performance.

“We had a good feel for the coverage that we were going to get. Another one with the guy played really good coverage, but with his back turned, you put it up top, especially for the tight ends like that, let him go up there and make plays,” said Patrick Mahomes during his postgame press conference. “Travis has proved for years that he can make that play. Big time catch for him. We’ve got to continue execute like that when we get in the red zone. That’s the one improvement we had the week before — is that we scored touchdowns in the red zone.”

During Thursday’s game with 0:05 left in the first quarter on fourth-and-two, Mahomes connected with Kelce for a two-yard touchdown to put the Chiefs up 13-7 heading into the second quarter. Mahomes has connected with Kelce for 59 touchdown passes in his career, extending their franchise record for the most touchdown connections between a quarterback and a pass catcher.

Who Will Titans Hire as HC for Cam Ward? Latest Rumors on Search After Loss to Jaguars | Bleacher Report

The Tennessee Titans have gotten a head start on their search for a new head coach, and multiple candidates reportedly have emerged.

Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer reported that the Titans’ “initial thought, post–Brian Callahan, had been to find more experience and someone who could work with Cam Ward.” He went on to name Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy as candidates who fit that mold.

Nagy has ties to Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi, who previously worked in the Chiefs’ front office. McCarthy is connected to Tennessee’s president of football operations Chad Brinker from their time together with the Green Bay Packers. Their experience could go a long way toward helping Ward improve after his disastrous rookie season.

2026 NFL mock draft: Wide-open QB race creates chaos at top of board | CBS Sports

Round 1 – Pick 13Brandon Cisse CBSouth Carolina • Jr • 6’0″ / 190 lbsCisse is a versatile corner who can consistently lock down receivers in press man coverage and showcases elite athleticism, with explosive downhill speed and next-level change-of-direction ability. Whether he’s driving on quick routes from off coverage or playing in press, he’s consistently in position for pass-breakup opportunities. He’s also one of the best run-defending CBs in this entire class.

Around the NFL

Drake Maye leads Patriots to 10th straight win, downs Giants | ESPN

The Patriots won their 10th straight game to improve to an NFL-best 11-2 and enter their Week 14 bye week having played one of their best games of the season.

Maye’s pinpoint accuracy highlighted a masterful performance, which included a 3-yard toss to receiver Kayshon Boutte late in the first quarter and then a 33-yard arcing gem to receiver Kyle Williams along the left side of the end zone.

Maye entered Monday second behind Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford in MVP odds, according to DraftKings.

Sauce Gardner week-to-week with calf strain, Colts hope he’ll return during regular season | NBC Sports

Gardner had an MRI and is considered week-to-week with the hope that he’ll be back this year, according to NFL Network.

PFT reported on Sunday night that the Colts were anticipating Gardner would miss a couple weeks. After the MRI that timeline might be extended a little, but the indication is still that they’re getting him back this season.

The Colts made a massive investment in Gardner, trading two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to the Jets for him. They made that trade thinking they’re Super Bowl contenders and that Gardner can put them over the top. He still might, but his absence could make it a little harder for the Colts to get to the playoffs.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Kansas City Chiefs are favorites over Houston Texans in Week 14 odds

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Kansas City has opened as a 4.5-point favorite in the game.

In Week 16 last year, the Chiefs opened as 3-point favorites against the Texans, winning that game 27-19. The Chiefs are coming off a 31-28 road defeat to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving — a game for which they opened as 3.5-point favorites. In Week 13, the Texans started the week as a 3.5-point road underdog to the Indianapolis Colts, but earned a 20-16 win.

The Chiefs enter Sunday’s matchup with a season’s worth of urgency. It’s a true must-win — the kind that shapes January. A stumble here would force Kansas City to navigate a crowded AFC field, rely on outside help and put their seven-year run of AFC Championship appearances in even more jeopardy. Meanwhile, a Houston win would keep it firmly in the hunt for the AFC South title.

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