The Kansas City Chiefs are in trouble after losing in Week 11 to the Denver Broncos 22-19, falling to 5-5.

The Chiefs now sit in ninth place in the American Football Conference, two spots from being in the playoffs. They are chasing the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars, all teams that have defeated the Chiefs and hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Bo Nix had probably their best battle since Nix entered the league last year. Mahomes completed 29 of 45 passes for 276 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Nix completed 24 of 37 passes for 295 yards.

The Broncos opened the scoring with two field goals in the first quarter, followed by two Chiefs field goals in the first and second quarter, sending a 6-6 tie into the second half. Running backs Jaleel McLaughlin and Kareem Hunt traded touchdowns in the third quarter to keep the score tied at 13 apiece going into the fourth quarter.

The story of the season for the Broncos has been the defense keeps the offense in the game long enough to steal a victory in the final minutes of the game. That wasn’t the case in this one, as Nix and the Broncos matched the Chiefs anytime they scored.

Kansas City took a 19-16 lead after tight end Travis Kelce found the end zone on a 21-yard pass with under 10 minutes to play. Broncos kicker Will Lutz tied the game with 4:10 remaining, setting the scene for Mahomes to play hero and chew clock for a game-winning drive. Except, the Chiefs went three-and-out and the Broncos marched down the field to kick a game-winning 35-yard field goal as time expired.

Are the Chiefs’ playoff hopes in serious jeopardy? Mahomes has bailed the Chiefs out time and time again, but the team is now 0-5 in one-score games. They will get some help from their schedule lightening up, but the Chiefs must take care of business.

“With seven games to go, though, the schedule does get a little bit easier from here on out,” ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote Monday. “The Colts are no pushovers and are coming off a bye of their own, although Daniel Jones has struggled badly over the past two weeks. The Chiefs get the Cowboys, Titans and Raiders on the road between now and the end of the year, and while there's no such thing as a gimme game for a 5-5 team, the 2025 Chiefs have dominated bad teams in a way that the 2024 Chiefs did not.”

The Chiefs will host the 8-2 Indianapolis Colts in Week 12.