No one can deny that the Kansas City Chiefs, at the outset-way back before the 2025 season even began-were among the favorites to win the Super Bowl, as they had gotten us all used to competing at the highest level. That said, others thought it would be a very different breakout campaign, far from the starring role they had played before.
Messi will give Mahomes and Kelce an experience unlike anything they’ve had with the Chiefs
Still, I don’t think anyone predicted such a poor harvest of wins, nor that they’d be so far from the AFC West lead. The Chiefs dominated the division for the last nine seasons, but this reign has come to an end.
A shaky start seemed like something they could easily turn around, but it hasn’t been the case. They’re still in the playoff hunt, and if they manage to sneak in, that would be the only way to hit the reset button-because the postseason is a completely different beast, a fresh start where it’s all about winning one game at a time.
The Chiefs have become a second-tier team
At this point, Kansas City isn’t one of the contenders, even with Andy Reid at the helm and Patrick Mahomes as their quarterback. Their record sits at 6-7, with four games left to play, and it’s very likely they’ll miss the playoffs for the first time in the Mahomes era.
“This season feels different. This season has unfolded differently. Consider the odds for the NFL’s best teams to win the next Lombardi Trophy in Santa Clara, Calif., in about two months,” noted Greg Bishop of Sports Illustrated.
“Most oddsmakers made the usual suspects-Kansas City and Philadelphia-their preseason favorites. Various books included other perceived top contenders-Buffalo, Baltimore and San Francisco were the most prominent of those.”
“The point: It’s hard to recall another, even relatively recent, NFL season like this one. Meaning: a year where there’s a favorite only because there has to be. In this 2025 NFL season, there really is … no favorite-parity, in other words, at the top.”
The Chiefs still have a shot at the playoffs, a stage where everything from the regular season gets wiped clean with one singular focus: game by game, win or go home. If they make it in, we can’t say they wouldn’t be a tough out-but the truth is, after 14 weeks, Kansas City just isn’t the same team it used to be.
