The Kansas City Chiefs have been officially eliminated from playoff contention after losing to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15 and currently sit at 6-8.
Star quarterback and two-time Most Valuable Player Patrick Mahomes suffered an ACL and LCL against Los Angeles and will miss the rest of the season, but there’s a possibility that he returns for Week 1 of the 2026 season. Mahomes was trying to lead a late fourth quarter comeback, but the injury forced backup QB Gardner Minshew into the game.
Mahomes finished the game completing 16 of 28 passes for 189 yards and an interception as well as 15 rushing yards and a touchdown on two carries. He finished the season with a 62.7 completion percentage, throwing for 3,587 yards, 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while setting career-highs in rushing yards (422) and rushing touchdowns (five) through 14 games.
Minshew completed three of five passes for 22 yards and a game-sealing interception in relief of Mahomes. He didn’t complete the comeback, but he commented on his opportunity to start for the remainder of the season.
“Backup QB Gardner Minshew, a seven-year veteran, will be the team's starter for the final three games after Patrick Mahomes tore two ligaments in his left knee last week,” ESPN’s Nate Taylor wrote Friday. “The stretch will serve as an audition for Minshew to remain with the Chiefs next season. After all, the Chiefs don't have another QB under contract for 2026. ‘It's an opportunity to step in and do my job,’ Minshew said. ‘Being how there's a lot of guys that have put a ton of work into this, I owe it to them. I owe it to this coaching staff, this team [and] this fan base to go out and do my best to give us the best chance to win.’”
For fantasy football players worried about the output of Chiefs wide receivers, primarily Rashee Rice, Minshew is known to pepper his No. 1 target.
“The entire Chiefs passing game takes a hit moving from Mahomes to Minshew, but there are reasons for optimism,” wrote ESPN’s Eric Moody. “Minshew is an aggressive passer who likes to lock in on his top target. Every team for which he has made at least nine starts in a season produced a 1,000-yard receiver. Minshew is also capable of attacking defenses vertically and underneath, which bodes well for WR Rashee Rice against a Titans secondary that has allowed the eighth-most fantasy points per game to WRs.”
The Chiefs will travel to Tennessee for a road matchup against the 2-12 Titans in Week 16.