One of the more surprising storylines heading into Week 15 of the NFL season is that the struggling Kansas City Chiefs could be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs with a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Of course, a few other game results would need to factor into the disappointing 6-7 squad being officially eliminated from playoff contention.
But just the idea that such a dominant franchise like the Chiefs, who have appeared in an astounding seven straight AFC Championship games, might miss the playoffs entirely is a pretty unusual reality to digest.
Look no further than the telling words from All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce, an unmistakable fixture in the Chiefs' success for the last 12-plus seasons.
"I feel like I've always had the answers in years past. And this year, I just can't find them," Kelce said on his popular New Heights podcast with his brother Jason Kelce.
That sentence alone is highly unfamiliar territory, as the Andy Reid-led Chiefs have seemingly always maintained a positive attitude and generally don't offer up such candor, even when things might appear bleak.
But reality certainly seems to be setting in for the 36-year-old Super Bowl champ.
"I keep thinking if I show up to work and I put in the work," Travis continued. "And I fix the issues through my practice habits and through perfecting the game plan and my fundamentals and what I'm being taught, and go out there and try and play my a** off for my guys next to me, it's all going to come together like it has in years past. And this year it is just not."
Perhaps his blunt honesty could be stemming from the fact that he's in the final year of his contract with the Chiefs. Either way, he's not wrong. Even if the Chiefs find a way to win out — which is very much in play given the team's schedule — finishing with a record of 10-7 could still end up serving as a crowded space in the current AFC playoff picture.
But, as ESPN legend Chris Berman always famously stated in signature fashion, "That's why they play the games."
Still, considering the Chiefs have appeared in five of the last six Super Bowls and won three of them, playing out these final four games in the hopes of getting one of the last spots on the dance floor is a pretty distinct departure from years past.
