If the Chiefs lose today, they won’t be mathematically eliminated, but their playoff chances drop to the brink and they likely need to win out and get help from other AFC results.
Playoff odds
ESPN- and simulator-based projections already have Kansas City under 50% to make the postseason after falling to 6–6 and sitting around 10th in the AFC. Another loss would push those odds down into roughly the mid-30% range or lower in most models, meaning they would be long shots rather than true contenders for a spot.
Division vs. wild card
The Broncos currently have a large cushion in the AFC West, and scenarios posted by analysts and fans show Kansas City now needs an almost perfect finish plus specific Denver and Chargers losses just to have a shot at the division lead late in the season. Realistically, a loss today would mean the Chiefs are almost certainly chasing only a wild-card berth and would lose more tiebreaker ground to other AFC contenders.
What it means going forward
Reports around the team describe the situation as “no margin for error,” with Mahomes and coaches acknowledging that every remaining game is effectively an elimination game. So if they lose today, the season isn’t officially over, but they would need to run the table the rest of the way and hope several teams ahead of them in the AFC stumble.