As the Kansas City Chiefs' season opener creeps closer, fans might be noticing the lack of noise surrounding their favorite team. Yes, the Chiefs are still the betting favorites to win the AFC West, but it certainly feels like more people are confident in the Broncos and Chargers than in Kansas City.
This is obviously irritating for Chiefs fans because of how dominant this team has been in recent years, but, on the other hand, it does make sense. Let's break it down.
First and foremost, the Chiefs are coming off their worst season of the Andy Reid-Patrick Mahomes era, winning just six games and missing the playoffs for the first time since before either was in K.C. It was a disappointing turn of events for a team that entered the year with Super Bowl aspirations, but seasons like that happen from time to time, and it was Kansas City's turn.
Not only are the Chiefs coming off their worst season in over a decade, but Patrick Mahomes also suffered a serious injury in December. That became a major talking point throughout the offseason: Would he be healthy enough to start the season? Even if he was, would he be the same quarterback? Mahomes has received the green light to play in the opener against Denver, but we don't have an answer to the second question just yet.
The Chiefs also have a major problem along their offensive line, as rumors suggest that Josh Simmons won't play in Week 1 and could be suffering from a back injury. Back injuries are no joke and can linger throughout an entire career. This means that an undrafted rookie will be protecting Mahomes' blind side.
Kansas City's secondary took a beating this offseason too. Trent McDuffie was traded to the Rams, and Jaylen Watson also headed to Los Angeles, removing two great cornerbacks from the Chiefs' secondary. Bryan Cook also departed, joining the Bengals. That meant Brett Veach had a lot of work to do to repair the secondary, and it'll be a lot of young guys tasked with stepping up for the Chiefs in that department.
Chiefs could benefit from everyone focusing on Broncos and Chargers
So yeah, all things considered, it's not shocking that the Chiefs aren't being talked about as much. Their quarterback is coming back from a major injury in record time, the offensive tackle situation leaves a ton to be desired, and the defense is a pretty big question mark.
Meanwhile, the Chargers landed Mike McDaniel as their offensive coordinator, and the Broncos' defense continues to look ferocious. If I weren't a Chiefs fan, I'd probably favor one of those two teams to be the kings of the AFC West as well.
While all of these things are good arguments for why the Chiefs might stumble again in 2026, Mina Kimes said it best when she posed the question, "What if the Kansas City Chiefs are just the Kansas City Chiefs again?"
"Every nerd regression sign is pointing towards positive regression this year. The close games, the missed field goals, all of it. On top of that, the offense for all of the like, you know, hand wringing, and oh my god, they're running it back. They were 12th in offensive DVOA," Kimes said on The Mina Kimes Show. "I'm starting to talk myself into this defense potentially being good."
Chiefs are being overlooked but Mina Kimes sees a reason to believe
Kimes then proceeded to discuss how the additions to the Chiefs' defense this offseason, such as R Mason Thomas and Khyiris Tonga, have her excited. She even went so far as to say that the Tonga signing was one of her favorites of the entire offseason.
What it all boils down to is that, yes, it makes total sense why people might have written the Chiefs off after how last year went. But this is a team that, aside from last year, has always been a force to be reckoned with. They've added Kenneth Walker on offense to help their running game and brought in new faces to help bolster a defense that stumbled a bit last year.
Being underrated might make things easier for the Chiefs. With everyone fixated on the Broncos and Chargers, maybe, just maybe, there's room for the Chiefs to go back to being the Chiefs we know and love.
Add us as a preferred source on Google