KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County. Share your story idea with Tod.
—
Another backbreaking red-zone interception ultimately sank the Chiefs' season Sunday in a 16-13 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Patrick Mahomes got a little greedy despite being in field-goal position in a three-point game, hoping to connect on the go-ahead touchdown pass.
Instead, it wound up being his 11th interception of the season and he never got another crack at extending the Chiefs’ season after exiting the game with a knee injury on the first play after the two-minute warning.
The Los Angeles Chargers (10-4) swept the season series against Kansas City (6-8) for the first time 2013, when the franchise was still in San Diego and Philip Rivers was still 32.
Now, Chiefs Kingdom pivots to awaiting news on the extent of Mahomes’ injury.
[UPDATE: The team confirmed at 6:16 p.m. on Sunday night that Mahomes had suffered a torn ACL.]
Mahomes’ interception came on third-and-12.
At any other spot on the field, the throw — a jump ball to running back Kareem Hunt on a wheel route — might be somewhat defensible as the equivalent of an arm punt.
Mahomes made just such a case for one of his interceptions against Houston last week, an underthrown third-down heave intended for Hollywood Brown.
But this time, Kansas City trailed 16-13 with more than 12 1/2 minutes remaining and the snap came at the Los Angeles 17-yard line, which is well within Harrison Butker’s range for a game-tying attempt, as opposed to near midfield like past week.
Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley never gave Hunt a realistic shot to catch Mahomes pass, picking it off at the 1-yard line.
“He’d probably want that one back,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “You don’t want to throw an interception there. He thought Kareem could potentially make a play on a linebacker. That’s what happened.”
Two previous red-zone interceptions — one that bounced off Travis Kelce’s hands at the goal line in a 20-17 Week 2 loss against Philadelphia and one Devin Lloyd returned 99 yards for a touchdown in a 31-28 Week 5 loss at Jacksonville — helped doom Kansas City’s season.
Combined with other results around the league, the Chiefs have been eliminated from postseason contention.
It's the first time since 2014 and only the second time in Reid's tenure that Kansas City failed to make the playoffs.
MINSHEW READY TO TAKE REINS
Gardner Minshew stepped in after Mahomes' injury with Kansas City approaching field-goal range.
It was interception that proved to be the final nail in season's coffin, with respect to the playoff at least.
“I felt very comfortable to go in and execute the offense,” Minshew said. “I hate that situation (with Mahomes getting hurt) and I hate that I couldn’t deliver and get us the win and keep our hopes alive.”
The early returns were encouraging as Minshew completed his first three passes for 22 yards, moving the Chiefs to the Chargers' 34.
It was on the outskirts of Harrison Butker's range, but 52 yards is close enough to give it an honest try.
After an incompletion, Kansas City's offense took a delay-of-game penalty, which increased the degree of difficulty but Butker has connected from 59 yards this season.
It became academic when Minshew's fifth and final pass, a shot to Kelce, was underthrown, allowing James to pick off the throw and ice the victory for LA.
“They were in man coverage,” Minshew said. “I tried to take a shot to Trav, but I probably should have kept moving.”
The Chargers ran out the clock in the victory formation after the turnover.
“That’s a tough situation, but he’s a big boy, so he understands it,” Reid said.
RUN, PATRICK, RUN
Mahomes, who finished 16 of 28 for 189 yards with no touchdowns and an interception passing, gave the Chiefs an early lead — capping an 11-play, 68-yard game-opening drive with a touchdown run.
He finished the drive 3 for 3 for 32 passing and added a 12-yard scramble up the middle for his fifth rushing touchdown of the season, a career-high.
MAHOMES TO THE HOUSE 🙌@PatrickMahomes x #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/UzArap8kxJ
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 14, 2025
Entering the season, Mahomes’ previous career-best was four rushing touchdowns in 2022.
He had already set a new career-high in rushing yards in a season entering the game.
Mahomes, who had two carries for 15 yards in the game and was sacked a season-worst five times, now has 64 carries for 422 yards rushing, topping his previous career-best of 389 yards rushing in 2023.
GILLOTTE I-N-T
Kansas City padded its lead after a rather unlikely turnover.
Safety Mike Edwards blitzed from Justin Herbert’s blindside, forcing the Chargers QB to step up in the pocket.
In doing so, Herbert met linebacker Drue Tranquill, who had blitzed through the A gap and overpowered running back Kimani Vidal in pass protection.
The resulting pass fluttered well short of its intended target and into the hands of rookie defensive end Ashton Gillotte.
It probably goes without saying, but it was Gillotte’s first career interception — heck, it was his first career NFL pass defense, after being credited with one in 51 career college games at the University of Louisville.
Gillotte had a nifty 14-yard return, which set up Kansas City at the Los Angeles 19-yard line.
The Chiefs reached the Chargers’ 8-yard line before settling for the first of two first-half Harrison Butker field goals.
He connected from 27, giving the Chiefs a 10-3 lead, and later from 47 yards as Kansas City took a 13-10 lead into halftime.
HERBERT DOUBLE DIPS
The Chiefs had settled for a field goal in the closing minute of the first half when KeAndre Lambert-Smith found an opening up the center of the field for a 34-yard kickoff return.
The Chargers only had 33 seconds to work with from their own 40, but Herbert made it work.
He hit Tre’ Harris for a 37-yard gain on the second play of the drive then found Lambert-Smith, who had settled into a void between cornerback Nohl Williams and safety Bryan Cook, three plays later for a 16-yard touchdown.
The TD was the first career score for Lambert-Smith, a rookie from Auburn.
Williams started Sunday in place of Chiefs All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, who was inactive with a knee injury.
The Chargers double-dipped, taking the opening possession of the third quarter down for a game-tying field goal.
Cameron Dicker connected from 23 yards then added a 49-yard field goal later in the period for what proved to be the game-winner.
INJURY REPORT
Right tackle Jaylon Moore injured his left knee on two different occasions.
The second one sidelined Moore for the remainder of the game.
With other injuries, that left Kansas City with an offensive line, from left to right, of Esa Pole, Kingsley Suamataia, Creed Humphrey, Mike Caliendo and Chukwuebuka Godrick for much of the game.
Mahomes got hurt in the closing minutes. Reid said it was a left-knee injury and the future Hall or Fame QB would have an MRI on Sunday night or Monday.
Wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (concussion), who got hit in the head on a reception over the middle in the fourth quarter, is in the NFL's concussion protocol, Reid said.
Chargers safety Tony Jefferson was flagged for a personal foul and ejected from the game for the hit on Thornton, which sparked a dustup among players from both teams as medical staff attended to him.
Several other Chiefs players — defensive tackle Chris Jones, linebacker Nick Bolton, cornerback Jaylen Watson and wide receivers Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice — also exited at various times with various injuries but returned.
UP NEXT
The Chiefs head to Tennessee for another noon kickoff next Sunday against the Titans, who were 2-11 entering a Week 15 afternoon game at San Francisco, in Nashville.
Both teams have been eliminated from postseason contention.
—
