The Kansas City Chiefs’ 31–28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day dropped Kansas City to 6-6 — and provided a story barely different from so many of the team’s defeats this season: self-inflicted mistakes, costly penalties and missed opportunities in moments that demanded execution.

“The guys understand we’ve got to clean up a few things,” head coach Andy Reid told reporters after the game. “We’ve got to do better as coaches — and we’ve got to do better as players. So you go back to the drawing board and you keep working; that’s what you do. We were close here, but we had too many opportunities that we gave away. You can’t be two good teams playing each other and have those things happen.”

The most glaring issue continues to be penalties. The Chiefs were flagged 10 times for 119 yards, turning manageable offensive situations into third-and-long scenarios. On defense, penalties repeatedly gave Dallas extra opportunities to extend drives.

“Bottom line is we’re having too many penalties,” said Reid. “We’ve got to make sure we take care of that on both sides of the ball — to get off the field on third downs — and then to stay on the field offensively and not back yourself up. No excuses with it. We’ll work on cleaning it up.”

These mistakes were especially costly late in the game. After Kansas City pulled within 3 points late in the fourth quarter, the defense couldn’t get off the field. The Cowboys leaned on its top two receivers — wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and wide receiver George Pickens — who combined for 13 catches and 200 yards. They used their size and physicality to draw two key defensive pass interference penalties. Both of them extended Dallas’ final drive — and ultimately sealed the game.

“I’m not always going to agree with the call, but the calls are made,” Reid admitted. “They’ve got some physical receivers — big, strong, physical guys. That’s the way they were playing — and in return, my guys were fighting to maintain leverage in that. It’s not the way I saw it — but it’s the way the officials saw it, so they made the calls. You’ve got to stay aggressive against those guys. There’s no other way to do it.”

Still, penalties weren’t the only problem. Despite quarterback Patrick Mahomes throwing four touchdown passes, the offense stalled for long stretches — including scoreless second and third quarters as Dallas seized control of the game.

“[It was] just missed opportunities — like all the losses we’ve had this year,” said Mahomes. “Getting the ball two times at midfield at the start of the second half and not getting points? That’s stuff you can’t do against good football teams.”

Mahomes pointed to the same consistency issues that have followed Kansas City all season long.

“We can beat anybody, but we’ve shown that we can lose to anybody,” he observed. “We’ve got to be more consistent — and it starts with me being consistent throughout the entire game, not just in big moments. That’s something we have to do throughout the entire game and week-to-week; it’s not just one time. Last week, we had a big win, then you come here and play another good football team and you don’t come to play. The ceiling can be what it is, but until you put it on the field, you won’t be able to go out there and win football games.”

The Chiefs still believe in their potential, but confidence alone won’t fix what continues to hold them back: discipline, consistency and an inability to finish close games.

And at 6–6 in the tight AFC standings, they’re out of runway; the margin for error is gone. The playoffs might be, too — unless they can quickly change the story of their season.

“At the end of the day, you’ve got to win every game now — and hope that’s enough,” said Mahomes. “We’re going to play a lot of good football teams coming up — and if we’re going to make the playoffs, we’re going to have to [beat] them all. That’s got to be the mindset when we step into the building when we get back.”