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Chiefs fall short in Thanksgiving loss, playoff streak in jeopardy

Chiefs fall short in Thanksgiving loss, playoff streak in jeopardy The Chiefs had opportunities down the stretch in their Thanksgiving loss to the Dallas Cowboys, but came up short in what has been a theme of the season. (kctv)
By Marleah Campbell

ARLINGTON, Texas (KCTV) - The Chiefs had opportunities down the stretch in their Thanksgiving loss to the Dallas Cowboys, but came up short in what has been a theme of the season.

They’re now 1-6 in one-score games this season — including their 31-28 Thursday loss at AT&T Stadium.

Their 11-year playoff streak is now in jeopardy as they head back to Kansas City.

[ GAMEDAY BLOG: Chiefs head to Texas to take on Cowboys ]

“At the end of the day, you’ve gotta win every game now and hope that’s enough,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said.

Head coach Andy Reid, Mahomes and defensive tackle Chris Jones all pointed to the same area after the loss: the Chiefs racked up 10 penalties for 119 yards.

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“Penalties kill some drives,” Mahomes said. “We put ourselves back a lot today with the defensive penalties that were called today.”

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, center, is sacked by Dallas Cowboys defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (42) as Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa (97) watches during the second half of an NFL football game Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson) (Gareth Patterson/AP)

“We put ourselves back a lot today with the defensive penalties that were called today,” Jones said.

“I’m not always going to agree with the call, but the calls are made,” Reid said.

The margin of error is now minimal for Kansas City in the final five games of the regular season, all against AFC opponents.

[ READ MORE: Chiefs meet Cowboys in what could be most-watched NFL regular-season game ever ]

“You go back to the drawing board and you keep working is what you do,” Reid said. “We were close here, but we had too many opportunities that we gave away. And you can’t be two good teams playing each other. You can’t have those things.”

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“We’re going to play a lot of good football teams coming up,” Mahomes said. “If we’re going to make the playoffs, we’re going to have to win them all.”

The stretch begins one week from Sunday when Kansas City hosts the Houston Texans. The Chiefs then face the Los Angeles Chargers, travel to Tennessee to play the Titans, host the Denver Broncos on Christmas at Arrowhead Stadium, and finish the regular season against the Las Vegas Raiders in Vegas.

Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson celebrates after intercepting a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) (Tony Gutierrez/AP)

“These next five games are going to be very, very critical for us as a team that we need to make sure we’re executing at a high level,” Jones said.

“Our ceiling is playing in the Super Bowl. We have all the same guys. We’ve added players. But at the end of the day, you’ve got to go out and do it on every single week, a week-in, week-out basis,” Mahomes said. “And we can beat anybody, but, I mean, we’ve shown that we can lose to anybody.”

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