It just hasn’t been the Kansas City Chiefs‘ year, and even though the team has a strong roster of talent, including veterans Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, it just wasn’t enough to get them to the postseason. The Chiefs dropped their critical game on Sunday, December 14, to the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium in a 16-13 final score, and now, they’re officially out of the playoffs.
If the Kansas City Chiefs had beaten the Chargers, they would have still had a less than 20% of going to the playoffs, according to NFL research, but it would keep them in the hunt. Now, the team is looking ahead to the 2026-27 season, and they’re also working to get Mahomes, who injured his ACL and LCL in the loss, healthy again.
Mahomes had his operation on Monday, December 15, according to Chiefs vice president of sports medicine and performance Rick Burkholder. Mahomes decided to have the surgery in Dallas with Dr. Cooper. “[Cooper and his staff] said everything that [Mahomes] had [suffered] in this injury was fixable, correctable, and it was fixed on Monday night by Dr. Cooper,” Burkholder said in a Wednesday, December 17, press conference.
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It’s tough enough that the Chiefs are out of the playoffs and Mahomes is out for the season. His timeline to return is roughly nine months, according to Burkholder, which would put him ready towards the beginning of the 2026 season.
But, on Wednesday, December 17, the NFL also made an announcement that pours salt in the wounds of the Chiefs’ loss. The NFL named Los Angeles Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker the AFC Special Teams player of the week.
Dicker was instrumental in the Chargers’ win over the Chiefs. Dicker successfully completed all three field goal attempts and an extra point in the game, contributing to 10 of the Chargers’ 16 points scored, according to ESPN research. In doing so, he also earned a perfect 11-of-11 against the AFC West this season.
“Overall on the season, Dicker’s 34 made field goals are the most in the AFC and second-most for the most in the NFL,” the Chargers stated on their official website. The 34 made field goals in 2025 tied the second-most in a single season in Chargers history and made him the seventh player in NFL history to make 30 field goals in three consecutive seasons.”
Dicker also clocked 131 points this season, the most of all AFC players and the second-most in the NFL, and he’s perfect on 29 point after attempts. So, as much as it hurts that Dicker was the reason the Chargers beat the Chiefs, the honor is warranted.
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As for Mahomes, Burkholder elaborated on the recovery timeline on Wednesday, stating, “Ballpark on this [recovery timeline] is nine months. Could be a month or two less, a month or two more.”
He added, “As you know, in the past with Patrick and his injuries, he attacks them and does very well [in his recovery]. He’s in that mode right now. Every player’s different, every sport’s different, every position’s different, and with [Mahomes], traditionally, he’s gone after it so hard and he’s so in tune with what he does that he does it a little quicker [than other athletes].”
Chiefs Get Even More Bad News After Loss to Chargers