Chiefs most to blame for Christmas Day loss to Broncos

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Chiefs most to blame for Christmas Day loss to Broncos

Enzo Flojo, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Fri, Dec 26, 2025 ·

5 min read

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There was a time when Christmas at Arrowhead meant inevitability. It meant touchdowns, noise, and a Kansas City Chiefs team that always found a way. On Christmas night in 2025, it meant something very different. With playoff hopes already extinguished , the Chiefs trudged through a sobering loss to the Denver Broncos . It felt less like a rivalry clash and more like a postscript to a season gone wrong. This was a stark reminder of how far Kansas City had fallen. It also showed once again how thin the margins become when talent, health, and execution all evaporate at once.

Week 17 recap

The Chiefs closed out their 2025 home slate with a 20-13 loss to the AFC West-leading Broncos on Christmas night. KC fell to 6-10 in front of a subdued Arrowhead crowd. Already eliminated from playoff contention, the Chiefs were forced to start third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun due to injuries to Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew . That turned the contest into a grind-it-out defensive struggle. Kansas City briefly held momentum, but Denver seized control late. That was after Bo Nix connected with RJ Harvey on a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to take the lead for good with under two minutes remaining. The Chiefs' final drive stalled at the Broncos' 28-yard line, sealing the loss. Travis Kelce , who may have played his final home game in red and gold, led the team with five catches for 36 yards. For the Chiefs, this game was defined by missed chances and offensive limitations.

Here we'll try to look at and discuss the Kansas City Chiefs most to blame for their week 17 loss to the Broncos.

QB Chris Oladokun

No one expected Chris Oladokun to look like a savior. However, what Kansas City got was an offense that barely functioned through the air.

Oladokun completed 13 of 22 passes for just 66 yards. That jumps off the stat sheet in all the wrong ways. Sure, he avoided interceptions and took only one sack. Still, the lack of downfield threat suffocated the entire offense. Defenses didn't need to disguise coverages or fear explosive plays. Denver simply crowded the line of scrimmage and dared Kansas City to beat them vertically. Oladokun just could not do that.

To his credit, he delivered his first NFL touchdown pass on a five-yard throw to Brashard Smith . He also managed the game without catastrophic errors. That said, the position demands more than caution. When your team generates only 139 total yards and possesses the ball for barely 20 minutes, the quarterback is unavoidably part of the problem.

This wasn't about blame as much as reality. Oladokun was thrust into an impossible situation. The limitations he faced were evident from the opening drive.

WR Xavier Worthy

In a game where every inch mattered, Xavier Worthy repeatedly came up empty. Early on, Worthy appeared to have a significant gain lined up, only to step out of bounds and erase the play. That moment perfectly encapsulated the Chiefs' offensive frustration. Sideline awareness has been a recurring issue this season. On Christmas night, it cost Kansas City precious momentum.

Worthy finished the game without a single catch on three targets. He added just one rushing attempt for one yard. With Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton unavailable, the opportunity was there for Worthy to step into a featured role. He didn't.

Drops weren't the issue. Impact was. The Chiefs desperately needed a receiver who could flip the field or win after the catch. Instead, Worthy faded into the background as Denver tightened the screws. In a season defined by offensive inconsistency, this was another night where potential went unrealized.

The run game

Kansas City entered the game knowing it would need to lean on the ground attack. It never happened.

Isiah Pacheco rushed nine times for 32 yards. Nearly half of that production came on a single 13-yard run. Outside of that play, the Broncos consistently bottled him up. Denver won first contact and collapsed running lanes before they could develop. Kareem Hunt offered little relief. The backfield as a whole failed to establish rhythm.

When a third-string quarterback is under center, the run game has to be a stabilizer. Instead, it became another liability. Denver's defense played downhill, confident that Kansas City couldn't punish them for selling out against the run.

Five straight games under 40 rushing yards for Pacheco isn't just a cold streak. It's a symptom of an offense that lost its physical edge.

Offensive identity never materialized

This loss wasn't about one player or one play. It was about an offense that no longer knows what it is.

Kansas City managed just 139 total yards. That number is jarring for any NFL team, let alone one that once defined modern offensive football. The Chiefs didn't control tempo and didn't threaten Denver in meaningful ways.

Even when the defense kept them in the game, the offense couldn't capitalize. Time of possession tilted heavily toward the Broncos. Drives stalled before midfield. Late-game urgency produced nothing but short throws and hopeful glances downfield.

This wasn't a failure of effort. It was a failure of structure.

End of an era at Arrowhead

Travis Kelce's stat line read five catches for 36 yards. It barely scratches the surface of what the night represented. If this was his final home game , it ended not with fireworks, but with frustration and uncertainty.

The Chiefs once owned moments like this. On Christmas night, they were passengers and onlookers.

The Broncos looked like a team ascending. Kansas City looked like one counting the days until the offseason.

Final verdict

Blame is easy when losses pile up. This one, though, felt different. It felt final.

Chris Oladokun's limitations, Xavier Worthy's invisibility, a stalled run game, and a missing offensive identity all combined into a loss that symbolized the entire season. Christmas at Arrowhead used to be magical.

In 2025, it was simply cold.

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