Chiefs News 11/29: Chiefs graded a ‘B’ for loss to Cowboys

The latest

NFL Thanksgiving grades for Week 13: Cowboys ace test, Packers earn ‘A-‘ | CBS Sports

B – ChiefsAfter seven straight years of reaching at least the AFC title game with Patrick Mahomes, this might have been the dagger that finally ends Kansas City’s playoff streak. This loss epitomized the Chiefs’ entire season: The team that always finds a way to win close games lost another close game. After going 12-0 in one-score games last year, the Chiefs are 1-6 this year. The defense couldn’t get a single stop in the fourth quarter and they failed to stop the Cowboys’ on almost every key third down that came up. On the offensive side of the ball, Patrick Mahomes was impressive, but the offense also disappeared at times. The unit punted on four straight possessions during a span that ran from the second quarter to the third quarter. There were also some ugly drops and two questionable punts in the second half that came on fourth-and-5 or shorter in Cowboys territory. It’s been a nightmare season for the Chiefs (6-6), and at this point, they only shot they’re going to have of making the playoffs is if they win out, and even then, it won’t be guaranteed.

Chiefs Quote of the Day

“We’ve got to put it all together for four quarters in this league. That’s something we’ve been great at in the past. But it’s not the past. Now it’s the present. You have to be able to do that week-in and week-out. Even last week, we weren’t consistent — and we won the game. So, it’s just being consistent throughout an entire game, bringing the right mindset [and] the right energy.  It’s something that we’re going to have to do the rest of the way out.”

— Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes

Chiefs’ locker room was different after loss to Cowboys. So was Patrick Mahomes | The Athletic

This was minutes after the Chiefs’ 31-28 road loss to the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on Thursday, and Karlaftis turned away from his locker to face reporters, preparing himself not to offer excuses for his team’s latest close loss.

“We’ve got to dig deeper, got to do more, got to look at ourselves in the mirror,” Karlaftis said. “Now is where this team is going to figure out what we’re made of.”

Look around the rest of the locker room — and at Karlaftis, too — and there might be more reasons to doubt the Chiefs can actually pull themselves out of the 6-6 hole they’ve already dug this year.

Ahead of Karlaftis was rookie left tackle Josh Simmons, who exited the game with a wrist injury. He already had a cast on by postgame, his arm also supported by a black sling. Next to him was right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who suffered a strained tricep. That left him checking his phone afterward while sporting a black sleeve that covered his elbow and upper arm.

Top Draft Needs of Every NFL Team in 2026 Entering Season’s Home Stretch | Bleacher Report

Top Scheme Fits on B/R Big Board

Jadarian Price, Notre Dame (No. 37)

Le’Veon Moss, Texas A&M (No. 72)

Kaytron Allen, Penn State (No. 98

The Isiah Pacheco era could be over at the end of the 2025 season. He’s in the final year of his rookie deal and his waning production and health could make him a risky player to re-sign. The Chiefs drafted Breshard Smith in last year’s draft, but he’s more of a pass-catching specialist.

Jeremiyah Love is obviously the top back in this year’s class, but the Chiefs won’t even likely have a chance to draft him. Brett Veach might also be hesitant to draft a first-round running back after Clyde Edwards-Helaire. However, Love’s backfield mate has worked his way up to RB2 status on our big board.

Le’Veon Moss would pair well with Smith as well.

“Moss is a tough runner who excels when his shoulders are squared to the line of scrimmage, working downhill. He runs well behind his pads between the tackles. He powers through arm tackles and pushes piles with his strong leg drive,” B/R scout Dame Parson wrote of the Aggie running back.

Around the NFL

Bears beat Eagles in Philly as boos rain down on Lincoln Financial | ESPN

The only team that entered Week 13 with a better record in one-score games than the Chicago Bears (6-1) was the Philadelphia Eagles (7-2), who were tied with the Broncos for the most one-score wins in the NFL.

So naturally, this pivotal NFC showdown ended in relatively close fashion, with the Bears beating the Eagles 24-15 to record their fifth straight win.

After only 12 games in the Ben Johnson era, this win is the most impactful and biggest for the franchise in years. Chicago remains in first place in the NFC North and is one step closer to clinching a playoff berth.

Friday’s win went a long way in changing the conversation about whether the Bears are as good as their record. They beat the defending Super Bowl champions on the road and legitimized their place in the NFC hierarchy.

Daniel Jones injury: Colts QB dealing with fractured fibula, per report | CBS Sports

Jones initially appeared on the Colts’ Week 12 injury report with a calf injury. Prior to the Colts’ game against the Chiefs, CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson reported that Jones in fact was dealing with a fibula injury while adding that he was not in jeopardy of missing that game.

Despite the injury, Jones played in the Colts’ Week 12 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He went 19 of 31 for 181 yards and two touchdowns in the Colts’ 23-20 overtime loss. The Chiefs failed to sack Jones, but he ran the ball just three times for 16 yards.

“It was just something that was hanging over, realized it last week,” said Jones, who was a full participant in practice. “Just trying to get treatment and make sure I’m in the best spot that I can be.”

Jones also made it clear that he has every intention of playing in the Colts’ upcoming home game against the Houston Texans.

“I’ll be ready to go on Sunday,” he said. “Obviously, (I) was out there last week. I’m good to go.”

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

5 things we learned from the Chiefs’ dissappointing loss to the Cowboys

2. The Chiefs are tired

The Chiefs are not bad. They are exhausted.

They are not worn out from playing on a short week. They are worn out from playing in three straight Super Bowls — and battling through one nail-biter after another.

You could see it on quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ face as he sat on the sideline watching the game slip away. This team looks like a legion of warriors who’ve been out on an endless campaign without reinforcements.

Since 2018 (including the playoffs), the Chiefs have played 149 games. That’s 18 more than half of the league’s teams. That’s more than a whole extra season of tough games won and lost — and in those high-stakes, win-or-go-home matchups, Kansas City’s players pushed their bodies to unimaginable extremes.

I don’t think this team has lost the will to fight. But there is only so much a human body can take before it fails the spirit within it.

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