By Matthew SchmidtShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberThe Kansas City Chiefs entered their Thanksgiving Day matchup against the Dallas Cowboys knowing that it was an essential must-win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Well, the Chiefs suffered a devastating loss, falling 31-28 and dropping to 6-6 on the season. Kansas City is now three-and-a-half games behind the Denver Broncos for first place in the AFC West, and the Buffalo Bills — who hold the tiebreaker over the Chiefs — sit two-and-a-half games in front of Patrick Mahomes and Co. for the final AFC Wild Card spot.
Read more: Ravens’ John Harbaugh Sends Stern Message After Lamar Jackson’s Turnovers
Mahomes equaled his season high with four touchdown passes on the day, but Kansas City's defense struggled to get stops, and the Chiefs being penalized 10 times didn't help.
On that note, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler made an interesting social media post after the game, sending a strong message to NFL conspiracy theorists.
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Ove the years, many have accused the league of favoring the Chiefs, who have won three Super Bowls and participated in five of them over the last six seasons. But it certainly appears as if the tide has turned. Against the Cowboys, it was Kansas City who was getting flagged for the more controversial calls.
Perhaps one of the more polarizing penalties was when Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy ran into a Cowboys defensive back while running his route on a play, resulting in an offensive pass interference call and wiping out what would have been a critical first-down completion to Rashee Rice.
...Nevertheless, Kansas City simply didn't do enough to come away with a win in this affair, surrendering 457 total yards to Dallas and failing to sack Dak Prescott once. The Chiefs were able to get pressure on Prescott, but were unable to finish any plays and were also guilty of countless defensive breakdowns on blitzes.
Remember: last year, Kansas City won a bunch of close games in incredibly odd fashion and finished the campaign 15-2 in spite of many feeling the Chiefs were really more of a 10-7 team.
Read more: Vikings Urged to Make Surprising WR Decision for JJ McCarthy
Well, now, Kansas City can't do any better than 11-6, and it may very well have to run the table in order to make the playoffs.
The Chiefs will host the Houston Texans in their next game on Sunday, Dec. 7.
For more on the Kansas City Chiefs and general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
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