The Kansas City Chiefs dropped to 6-7 on the year after a 20-10 loss to the Houston Texans. It appears to be the cherry on top of what has been a dumpster fire of a season that now is officially on life support. There is no probable path for KC to make the playoffs, which would not only mark the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era that the team has missed the playoffs, but also the first time it has not appeared in the AFC title game. All of this combines to increase the possibility that star defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo could be on his way out.
Sunday's final score wasn't a fair reflection of a defense that consistently had C.J. Stroud off balance, leaving the Texans searching for any consistency offensively. Twice, the Chiefs turned the ball over on downs, while Patrick Mahomes would add three interceptions, and Harrison Butker would miss a key field goal. All of this combines to paint a rather bleak picture and could easily serve as motivation for Spagnuolo to begin to consider a head coaching role.
There is no debating that the coordinator is incredibly qualified and should be considered among the offseason's top targets. Spagnuolo is a proven coordinator, and it seems that Kansas City's recent failures are only increasing the chances he walks out the door.
Chiefs Increase Chances of Losing Steve Spagnuolo in Sunday's Season-Killing Loss
As much as KC fans adore the defensive coordinator, it is hard to deny that now is the time to consider jumping ship. Kansas City's cap situation is less than ideal, Mahomes is playing the worst ball of his career, and the Chiefs' offense is clearly broken. Meanwhile, Kansas City's defense continues to get stop after stop and begs the other pieces of the roster to hold up their end of the bargain.
If Spagnuolo believes that the dynasty is reaching an end and that this isn't simply a down year, now is the time to jump. Already, half the league's coaches appear to be on the hot seat as we near the end of the 2025 season. It shouldn't be difficult for the talented coach to at least garner interviews and a level of serious interest.
All of this paints a bleak picture for a fan base that is already beyond frustrated with how things have gone. Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid have set the lofty standard that the Chiefs' true season begins in January, with the team refusing to go out before the AFC title game or in the Super Bowl.
Furthering this is the fact that, before this season (with Mahomes), every year Kansas City has been in the playoff field, there are only two AFC quarterbacks to have never beaten the Chiefs in a playoff game. An aging Tom Brady and Joe Burrow are the only quarterbacks to ever accomplish this in a game that matters.
All of these headlines say what an outlier this season has been and why it could signal to Spagnuolo that now is the time to jump ship if the coordinator wants one last shot at the head coaching job.
The flip side of this, and what the Chiefs should be selling the coach on, is what an outlier this season has been. Kansas City fans have to hope that this will be enough and that the aging coordinator's past head coaching failures with the Rams and Giants are enough to keep what remains one of the league's most talented and respected defensive leaders.