Chiefs handed embarrassing position in latest power rankings entering Week 14 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Kansas City Chiefs, at 6-6, know the path ahead for playoff football in 2025...and it's not for the faint-hearted.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAfter the loss to the Dallas Cowboys, the Chiefs now know exactly what it takes to make the postseason: win out.
Simple, right? Well, the Chiefs haven't looked like a team capable of that all year, having won no more than three games in a row. So, something has to change.
And for NFL.com's Eric Edholm, there's big change in his latest power rankings, as Andy Reid's team dropped seven spots, all the way down to No. 19.
“The road loss to the Cowboys all but made it a must-run-the-table situation for the Chiefs," Edholm writes. "I'll never truly bury the Chiefs, and they're better than their record would indicate, but it's going to take a heroic effort from the future Hall of Fame trio to prevent us from not seeing them in the playoffs for the first time.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMore:Andy Reid has perfect response to confidence in Chiefs' playoff chances
Can Mahomes lead "heroic effort" to playoff football?
Given Patrick's track record, absolutely, he can.
However, this version of the Chiefs has a nasty habit of shooting itself in the foot with costly penalties, drops in big spots, and the defense doesn't have the consistent ability to get off the field on third down.
All of those issues are problematic for a team chasing playoff football, and even more so when perfection is needed down the stretch.
So many are hanging onto the Chiefs as the one team that can get hot and make the playoffs, because if they get in, they'll be dangerous.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut getting in will now require a Herculean effort from Mahomes, and some aren't sure if he's got that in him this year.
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Can Chiefs make the playoffs? ESPN outlays tough path for Patrick Mahomes
