The Moment
Michael Strahan just said the quiet part out loud about Patrick Mahomes, and Chiefs Kingdom is not loving it.
On a recent episode of FOX NFL Kickoff, host Curt Menefee asked Strahan if he believed Mahomes would miss the playoffs for the first time in his NFL career. Strahan didn’t hedge, didn’t sigh, didn’t give the usual “we’ll see.” He simply answered: “Yes.”
His blunt call comes as the Kansas City Chiefs sit at 6-6 after a bruising Thanksgiving loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The defending dynasty suddenly looks fragile, their “automatic playoff berth” energy replaced by math, maybes, and a lot of side-eye.
Mahomes himself admitted after the Dallas game that the Chiefs now have zero margin for error: they basically have to win out to even have a shot at the postseason. “If we are going to make the playoffs, we have got to win them all,” he said in his postgame comments, adding that Kansas City has “shown we can lose to anybody.”
Layer on injuries along the offensive line and growing questions about whether this might be Travis Kelce’s last ride, and suddenly Strahan’s icy prediction doesn’t sound like TV theatrics. It sounds uncomfortably realistic.
The Take
I’ll say it: hearing Michael Strahan doubt Patrick Mahomes in December feels like watching someone bet against gravity. For the past few years, the Chiefs’ entire brand has been “We’ll figure it out by January.” Now? They look like every other banged-up, inconsistent team trying to duct-tape a season together.
Strahan’s one-word answer hit so hard because Mahomes has been the NFL’s safety blanket. Defense shaky? Run game meh? Receivers dropping passes? Didn’t matter. As long as No. 15 was upright, you assumed Kansas City would be hosting a playoff game in the cold while the rest of the AFC shivered in fear.
This year, the magic trick is stalling. Mahomes hasn’t fallen off a cliff – he’s still elite – but the supporting cast looks mortal. Key linemen are hurt, the schedule is brutal, and the rest of the conference has finally caught up. The Chiefs are no longer lapping the field; they’re fighting for their place in it.
And because this is the 2020s, the conversation can’t just be about football. Travis Kelce – future Hall of Famer, current pop-culture lightning rod – is quietly at the center of it. Local Chiefs reporter Pete Sweeney noted on X that many people came into this season assuming it might be Kelce’s last, even as he’s still producing like a guy with “years left.”
The mental picture of Mahomes missing the playoffs while Kelce heads into possible retirement? That’s not just a bad season; that’s the end of an era. It’s like if prime Tom Brady had suddenly finished 8-9 with the Patriots and then Gronk might be done too. The vibes shift from “temporary slump” to “this might actually be the beginning of the end.”
Strahan’s prediction isn’t cruel; it’s cold-blooded reality TV: a reminder that even the biggest stars eventually lose the plot for a season. The question now is whether Mahomes & Co. treat this as their villain origin story… or a really expensive wake-up call.
Receipts
Let’s separate what’s solid from what’s just chatter.
Michael Strahan predicts a tough road ahead for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, stating they might miss the playoffs this season. With only a 27% chance of postseason play, Mahomes faces his biggest challenge yet. Can he turn it around? 🏈 #NFL #Chiefs #Mahomes pic.twitter.com/qMjkDISNcP
— NFL news updates 🏈 (@AjetNFL365) December 1, 2025
Confirmed:
- On a recent FOX NFL Kickoff segment, Michael Strahan answered “yes” when asked if Patrick Mahomes would miss the playoffs this year.
- The Chiefs are 6-6 after their Thanksgiving loss to the Dallas Cowboys, marking their sixth defeat in 12 games.
- In postgame comments after that loss, Mahomes said the Chiefs “have got to win them all” to make the playoffs and admitted they can “lose to anybody.”
- Right tackle Jawaan Taylor left the Cowboys game with an elbow injury, and offensive lineman Josh Simmons exited with a dislocated and fractured wrist, according to postgame reports.
- Guard Trey Smith was inactive for the game because of an ankle injury.
- Travis Kelce has five receiving touchdowns and over 600 yards this season through 12 games.
- Reporter Pete Sweeney noted on X that many expected this to be Kelce’s last season, while also pointing out Kelce is playing like a guy with more time left.
Unverified / Speculation:
- Any claim that this is definitely Travis Kelce’s final season is not confirmed. It’s fan and media speculation; Kelce has not made an official retirement announcement.
- The idea that the Chiefs’ “dynasty is over” is opinion, not fact. They’re in trouble this year, but the long-term picture depends on future seasons, not just this one slump.
Sources: FOX NFL broadcast of FOX NFL Kickoff (late November 2025); Mahomes’ and Chris Jones’ postgame comments following the Thanksgiving loss to Dallas; Pete Sweeney’s public posts on X discussing Travis Kelce’s season and future (late November 2025).
Backstory (For Casual Readers)
If you checked out of football somewhere between Joe Montana and the Taylor Swift era, here’s the quick catch-up. Patrick Mahomes, quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, has been the face of the NFL for the past several years – multiple Super Bowls, MVPs, and a reputation for pulling off cartoon-level comebacks.
The Chiefs under head coach Andy Reid have basically been the modern version of the ’90s Cowboys or early-2000s Patriots: always in the mix, always dangerous. Tight end Travis Kelce became a star on the field first, then a mainstream celebrity off it, thanks to his personality, podcast, and high-profile love life.
Until now, missing the playoffs with Mahomes healthy wasn’t even on the table. The story every year was how deep they’d go, not whether they’d get there.
What’s Next
The Chiefs’ path is simple on paper and brutal in reality: win out. They still have matchups with the Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos, and Las Vegas Raiders on the schedule, with only the Titans looking like a true soft spot.
With multiple offensive linemen banged up and the offense already sputtering, every game becomes a referendum on the Mahomes era: is this just their ugly “remember 2025?” season, or a sign the league has finally caught up?
Things to watch in the coming weeks:
- Mahomes’ body language and comments: Does he stay upbeat leader, or does frustration start to leak out?
- Kelce’s tone about the future: Any hint about “thinking long-term,” “talking with family,” or “seeing how my body feels” will set off retirement alarms.
- Front-office moves and messaging: Do the Chiefs hint at a big retooling, or double down on the current core?
Strahan drew his line in the sand. Now it’s on Mahomes and the Chiefs to prove him wrong – or turn this season into the cautionary tale every dynasty eventually gets saddled with.
Your turn: Do you think this is just one bad Chiefs season, or are we quietly watching the beginning of the end of the Mahomes-Kelce era?
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