Chiefs to miss NFL play-offs for first time in 11 years

Three-time Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes will not play in the NFL post-season for the first time in his career as the Kansas City Chiefs have been eliminated from play-off contention.

Sunday's 16-13 loss at home to the Los Angeles Chargers means that, despite having three regular season games remaining, the Chiefs will miss out on the play-offs for the first time in 11 years.

Head coach Andy Reid has led the Chiefs to the post-season in each of the past 10 seasons and to the Super Bowl in five of the past six.

They won the NFL's championship game in 2020, 2023 and 2024, and were denied the first Super Bowl three-peat last February.

Mahomes became the Chiefs' starting quarterback in 2018 and has reached at least the AFC Championship game in each of the past seven seasons.

The 30-year-old, who has twice been named the season's Most Valuable Player, had to be helped from the field after getting injured with less than two minutes left in Sunday's game.

The Chiefs led 13-3 late in the second quarter but the Chargers fought back with 13 unanswered points to leave their divisional rivals with a 6-8 record.

Travis Kelce has been a regular starter since the 2014 season so has also been a key player in each of Reid's three Super Bowl-winning teams.

The 36-year-old tight end, who is engaged to music superstar Taylor Swift, said last month that he would wait until after the season to decide whether he will retire.