NFL’s Most-Watched Team Is on the Brink of Playoff Exclusion

​​It’s now really looking like the end of the line of the Chiefs, at least for now, after a historic, decade-long run by the National Football League’s top television draw.

The Chiefs fell 20–10 to the Texans on Sunday Night Football, dropping the team to 6–7 and 10th place in the American Football Conference playoff chase. Kansas City now has just a 15% chance of reaching the postseason, a stunning fall after reaching the conference title game each of the last seven seasons and the playoffs each of the last 10.

“We know the chances are getting lower and lower,” said Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. 

Alarms started ringing in force around the Chiefs in September after an 0–2 start to the season. Since then, Kansas City briefly rebounded, winning five of the next six before beginning a 1–4 skid that included the loss to Houston. 

Tuning In

Viewers have been front and center for all the ups and downs, as the Chiefs were part of four of the NFL’s five most-watched games this season, including a Thanksgiving Day clash against the Cowboys that averaged 57.2 million viewers and set a league record for the regular season. 

With the playoff chances increasingly dim, the NFL and its rights holders will likely need to head into January and February without the highly reliable draw of the Chiefs.

There’s still plenty of inherent strength, however, across the league. Each of the rights holders is posting audience increases this season, as the NFL is currently averaging 18.6 million viewers per game, its highest average through week 13 of the season since 1989.

The Chiefs, meanwhile, are in the midst of a high-stakes deliberation regarding its facility future. The team is weighing whether to renovate its current home, Arrowhead Stadium, or build a new stadium in either Missouri or neighboring Kansas. 

There are also heavy financial and roster decisions coming for the Chiefs. After several years of aggressive spending to retain key players, the team is projected to be more than $31 million over the salary cap for 2026, better than only the Cowboys.