The Kansas City Chiefs are on the verge of missing out on the playoffs after their latest defeat, with Travis Kelce left visibly emotional as speculation continues about his future.
The Chiefs lost 20-10 to the Houston Texans on Sunday, leaving their hopes of reaching another Super Bowl hanging by a thread.
The defeat leaves them with a record of 6-7 for the season and prediction site Kalshi now estimates their chances of making the playoffs at just 15%.
To secure a wildcard spot, they will need to win all four of their remaining games and rely on other results going in their favour.
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It marks a potential end to a dominant era for the Chiefs, who have reached the Super Bowl in each of the past three seasons, winning two of them.
One player whose future looks uncertain is tight-end Kelce.
Last month, the 36-year-old confirmed he will wait until the end of the current campaign before deciding whether to retire.
According to Sky Sports, he wants to give the Chiefs enough time to prepare for life without him should he decide to step away from the sport.
He said: "It's one of those things where I'd like to make that decision before they have draft picks and free agency opens and they can go out there and fill the roster appropriately.
"All of that will be after the season.
"I won't think about it until then."
After Sunday night's defeat to the Texans left their playoff hopes in tatters, Kelce appeared visibly emotional.
With 10 seconds remaining in the final quarter, cameras showed the tight-end appearing to hold back tears.
It has fuelled speculation that he may have already made up his mind about retirement and that his emotions reflect the realisation he may have played in his last Super Bowl.
However, quarterback Patrick Mahomes insisted that neither he nor his Chiefs teammates have given up.
“We know the chances are getting lower and lower, but I know the guys on this team are going to give everything they have, every opportunity we get,” he said.
“We’re not winning games, but with the mindset the guys have in this locker room, in the games we’re not winning, you can never question the fight of this team.
“Obviously, we’re not executing at the right moments and we’re not making those plays, but at the end of the day you can never question that, and I think you’ll see that these last four weeks.”
The Chiefs now face the Chargers, Titans, Broncos and Raiders in a challenging run-in.
Sunday's meeting with the Chargers will be a tough test, with the Los Angeles side currently boasting an 8-4 record.
Topics: NFL, Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, Super Bowl, American Football
James Taylor