Time running out on Chiefs, Lions and Ravens after they stumble on Thanksgiving

The Kansas City Chiefs have run out of room for error.

If they’re going to extend the dynasty and reach the AFC championship game for a ninth straight season to have a shot at winning a fourth Super Bowl title with coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, they might need to win their last five games — and get help.

A 31-28 loss at Dallas on Thursday dropped the Chiefs (6-6) to .500. They’ve already lost to the three 7-4 teams currently sitting in the AFC wild-card spots — Chargers, Jaguars, Bills — and they also trail the Texans (6-5) and Steelers (6-5).

Kansas City’s final five games are home vs. Houston and Los Angeles (the Chargers beat the Chiefs in Week 1 in Brazil), at Tennessee, home vs. Denver and at Las Vegas. The three toughest games are at Arrowhead Stadium, where the Chiefs are 5-1.

“You’ve just got to win every game now. I hope that’s enough,” Mahomes said. “We’re going to play a lot of good ballteams coming up. If we’re going to make the playoffs, we’re going to have to win ’em all. That’s got to be the mindset when we step into the building when we get back.”

It’s going to be a tough task for Mahomes and Co. An inconsistent offense showed encouraging signs, scoring four touchdowns against Dallas. But Steve Spagnoulo’s defense surrendered 457 yards and 31 points. They need to tighten up down the stretch.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys (6-5-1) have climbed back into the NFC playoff race with their third straight win. They defeated the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles and the runners-up in a five-day span.

Dak Prescott is thriving thanks to George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb, who overcame the drops against Philadelphia. The revamped defense got the best of a depleted offensive line and harassed Mahomes throughout the game.

Still, the Cowboys have a long way to go. They would have to win out and have the Eagles (8-3) lose three games to win the NFC East.

Dallas visits Detroit next week, hosts Minnesota and the Chargers and finishes with consecutive road games against Washington and the New York Giants.

The Cowboys would surpass the Lions (7-5) with a win next Thursday. They’ll need San Francisco (8-4) to lose two games if they win out to finish with an eight-game winning streak.

“We’re playing good football, we’re riding a three-game winning streak,” Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “We need to get to four. And again, I think if you look at things that way, and it makes the process easier, and if we keep winning football games, we’ll see what happens at the end.”

Detroit’s hopes of becoming a three-peat division champion took a serious hit with a 31-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Jordan Love was outstanding, tossing four TD passes. Micah Parsons was dominant, recording 2 1/2 sacks. The Packers (8-3-1) swept the Lions and would take over first place if Chicago (8-3) loses at Philadelphia (8-3) on Friday.

The Packers will face the Bears twice in the next three games sandwiched around a road game against the Broncos (9-2). The division battle will come down to those matchups.

“There are a lot of good football teams in our division,” Love said. “We’ve got to come out here and handle business every time we get those opps. Obviously, we know this three-game stretch we’ve had with the Vikings, now the Lions, and then go with the Bears next week. You’ve got to come in and win these games and try to control your own destiny by winning out.”

Detroit has lost three of four and four of six. The Lions would have to win out and get help to win another division title. They won’t have an easy road to a wild-card spot, either. After Dallas, the Lions visit the NFC-leading Rams, host the Steelers and finish with consecutive road games against the Vikings and Bears.

“You’ve got to do your job, you’ve got to win and you need a little help. And that’s what it is,” coach Dan Campbell said. “But it all starts with you doing your job, which is us, and finding a way to win the next one in front of us. It really is that simple. Don’t make more of it than need be. It’s frustrating, it sucks, it’s tough, but we did it to ourselves and we’re the only ones who are going to get out of it as well.”

Joe Burrow returned for the Bengals and helped end Baltimore’s five-game winning streak.

Much of the credit goes to Cincinnati’s defense for stifling Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and the Ravens. A unit that entered the game last in the NFL forced five turnovers.

The Ravens (6-6) fell a half-game behind the Steelers (6-5) for first place in the AFC North. Pittsburgh hosts Buffalo on Sunday. The Ravens and Steelers will square off in Week 14 and 18.

Jackson threw four TD passes against Miami after returning following a three-game injury absence. But he has one TD pass and three picks in four games since.

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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Micah Parsons (1) grabs a turkey leg following an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in Detroit, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson runs with the ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) pauses during the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, left, knocks the ball out of bounds away from Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Before dawn in the narrow alleys of Mathare, an informal settlement in Kenya's capital, Agnes Mbesa flicks on a single bulb hanging from her tin roof. For years, the mother of three relied on smoky kerosene lamps. Now electricity lights her home and powers the small shop she runs from her veranda.

“Before the power came, we closed early because it was too dark,” Mbesa said. “Now people come even at night, and I can earn something.”

Hundreds of kilometers (miles) from Nairobi in Sori, western Kenya, fisherman Samuel Oketch tells a similar story. After a solar mini-grid reached his village, he bought a freezer to store his catch. Fish that once had to be sold quickly at low prices can now be preserved and transported to nearby towns.

“These small changes mean a lot,” Oketch said. “Electricity gives us options. My wife can now sell (fish) without being taken advantage of by brokers who had the freezers.”

Their experiences with electrification funded by philanthropic and government sources highlight how expanded energy access can transform the lives and improve livelihoods. More than 730 million people worldwide still lack access to electricity, about 600 million of them in Africa. Limited access constrains health care, education, digital connectivity and job creation.

New financing aims to accelerate progress. The European Investment Bank pledged more than $1.15 billion in March for renewable energy projects across sub-Saharan Africa, including hydropower, solar, wind and grid expansion.

“This funding is Europe’s commitment to provide cleaner, more affordable, and reliable energy for hundreds of millions of people in Africa,” said European Investment Bank President Nadia Calviño.

The Rockefeller Foundation also announced in March at the Africa Energy Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa, that it will invest an additional $10 million to support electrification programs in at least 15 African countries. The funding will be deployed with the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet to strengthen national programs and support government reforms.

“African governments are choosing to transform their energy sectors by committing to national energy compacts and investing in African-led solutions,” said William Asiko, senior vice president at the Rockefeller Foundation.

The investments support the Mission 300 initiative led by the World Bank and the African Development Bank, which aims to connect 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa to electricity by 2030 through grid expansion and decentralized solutions such as mini-grids and off-grid solar. Across much of Africa, where national electricity grids are often unreliable, mini-grids have emerged as a key alternative. These small, community-level systems, typically powered by solar or hybrid energy, generate and distribute electricity locally.

Off-grid systems, by contrast, operate independently at the household level. These include stand-alone solar kits that provide direct access to power, helping bridge electricity gaps in remote and underserved areas.

The initiative is providing governments in Malawi and Liberia with technical assistance to support national energy plans, expand transmission networks and improve the reliability and efficiency of distribution systems. Efforts in Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Senegal include local currency financing and pooled procurement support.

Andrew Herscowitz, CEO of the Mission 300 Accelerator at RF Catalytic Capital, said scaling access will require sustained financing and stronger implementation capacity, including improved monitoring and better-aligned support to accelerate connections.

“Energy access is key to unlocking human potential and economic development,” Herscowitz said.

Kenya has received funding since 2017 from the World Bank, African Development Bank and partners under Mission 300 to support its Last Mile Connectivity program, which targets households near existing transformers, particularly in rural areas and informal settlements, as it pushes toward universal electricity access by 2030. Rural access rose to about 68% in 2023 from just under 7% in 2010.

Across eastern and southern Africa, where only about 48% of the population and 26% in rural areas have access to electricity, World Bank programs aim to expand access in up to 20 countries over the next seven years through renewable energy projects.

Mbesa, the shopkeeper in Mathare, was connected to electricity in 2021 under the Last Mile Connectivity Project. The initiative provided free connections to households and small businesses located near transformers, with funders covering the standard $115 connection fee. In more remote areas like Oketch's, the project incorporated off-grid solutions, including providing mini-grids and solar systems, to reach communities beyond the national grid.

For Mbesa, the impact is already clear. The single bulb above her shop has extended her working hours and allowed her children to study at night.

“Electricity changes everything,” she said. “Once you have it, life starts moving forward.”

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

A view of electric wire poles and cables towering over the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Henry Naminde)

A view of electric wire poles and cables towering over the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Henry Naminde)

A view of electric wire poles and cables towering over the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Henry Naminde)

A view of electric wire poles and cables towering over the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Henry Naminde)

A man connects electric cables on a pole above the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Henry Naminde)