The Kansas City Chiefs needed a win on Sunday over the division rival Los Angeles Chargers in order to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
But Travis Kelce‘s fiancée Taylor Swift joined over 73,000 others at Arrowhead Stadium to watch as a late injury to Patrick Mahomes and an interception from backup quarterback Gardner Minshew sealed a 16-13 defeat.
According to NFL.com, a win would give the Chiefs an 18 percent chance of reaching the postseason.
But the defeat, combined with positive results for the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans, meant the Chiefs were officially eliminated from the playoffs – casting doubt on the future of their dynasty.
It’s the first time since 2014 that the Chiefs will not be heading to the playoffs – which makes it the first time in Mahomes’ career that he misses the postseason.
A left knee injury to Mahomes was what ultimately doomed Kansas City from a last-second victory drive.
Patrick Mahomes (15) and the Kansas City Chiefs have been eliminated from the playoffs
Taylor Swift was one of 73,000 witnesses to the end of this phase of the Chiefs dynasty
The quarterback’s knee buckled backwards, leading to the former MVP clutching his leg in pain on the ground.
He needed to be helped off the field by training staff – who aided him down the tunnel to the locker room.
Minshew, the former Raiders starting quarterback, was brought in with one final chance to salvage the season.
He completed three of his first four passes to bring the Chiefs within field goal range – which would have tied the game.
However, Minshew tried uncorking a deep pass intended for Kelce – only to be picked off by Chargers star safety Derwin James to officially kill any hopes of a postseason run.
A kneel-down of the ball officially sealed the loss. But other results confirmed the elimination.
In Foxborough, the Bills were able to come back from a 21-point deficit to beat the New England Patriots 35-31.
Additionally, the Texans and Jaguars were able to easily handle their cupcake games against the hapless Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets respectively.
Backup QB Gardner Minshew tossed an interception to Derwin James (3) to seal the elimination
It’s the first time since 2014 that Travis Kelce and the Chiefs will not play in the postseason
This combination of results officially sealed the Chiefs out of an eleventh straight playoff appearance.
KC is also on the verge of potentially putting up their first losing season since 2012.
Mahomes’ injury may be one major factor if that happens, but considering they’d need to win out their final three games – including one game against the AFC’s best team, the Denver Broncos – Sunday’s game may have sealed that fate.
Now, major questions about the future of the Chiefs dynasty come into play.
Not only does the severity of Mahomes’ knee injury put the longevity of the Chiefs’ success into doubt, but multiple key players are about to hit free agency.
This includes Kelce (who has recently considered retirement), running backs Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt, wide receivers Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown, Juju Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton, edge rusher Charles Omenihu, and cornerback Jaylen Watson among others.
Kansas City closes its season on the road to the Tennessee Titans, hosting the Broncos, and then playing a final game at the Las Vegas Raiders.