The Kansas City Chiefs were officially eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday when they lost 16-13 to the Los Angeles Chargers. The loss dropped the Chiefs to 6-8 on the season and was yet another frustrating game in which the Chiefs had plenty of chances but just couldn’t figure out a way to get it done. To make matters worse, Patrick Mahomes was knocked out of the game on the final drive with an injury that looked like it could be season-ending. In many ways, the game was the perfect encapsulation of the Chiefs’ season.
The Chiefs had been on one of the most impressive runs in NFL history. They had won nine straight AFC West titles heading into this season. They had made seven straight AFC Championship Games. They had made five of the last six Super Bowls, winning three of them. It was, without hyperbole, one of the most successful stretches of any NFL team ever. That streak is now over.
There is no sugarcoating the end of this streak. It hurts for Chiefs fans. Period. It’s frustrating and disappointing. The Chiefs frequently showed flashes of getting back to their old winning ways, only to fall apart and self-destruct over and over again. Chiefs fans have a right to feel let down by this season despite all of Kansas City’s success over the last decade. It is possible to truly appreciate all this team has given fans and still think that this team squandered an opportunity this season.
The Kansas City Chiefs' dynasty doesn't have to be over, even after a lost season in 2025.
While this season was a big disappointment and the Chiefs’ streak of success has been snapped, it doesn’t mean that the dynasty is officially over. If the Chiefs bounce back next season, return to being one of the top teams in the NFL, and then add another Super Bowl win (or two) over the next five years, there will be no arguing that they extended the dynasty.
The question is whether this massive letdown of a season has been enough of a wake-up call for the entire organization to make the kind of large-scale changes needed to revitalize this team and save a dynasty that is currently on life support. A big reason this season failed is because the Chiefs tried to keep doing what they’ve always done even after it became clear that it wasn’t working anymore.
Were Kansas City’s old ways not working because the rest of the NFL figured out what the Chiefs were doing and adapted? Yes. Were their old ways not working because they are short on talent at key positions, making it harder to execute their plan than it used to be? Again, the answer is yes. This team needs new ideas and game plans, along with an infusion of new young talent, to bring it back to relevance.
Chiefs fans all remember that the Chiefs won two back-to-back Super Bowls after trading away Tyreek Hill. What many fans forget is that those Super Bowls were the result of more than just the Tyreek Hill trade. The Chiefs lost the AFC Championship Game that year and were frustrated on multiple occasions by the increased use of two-high safeties across the NFL, which took away the vertical attack Mahomes was known for early in his career.
The Chiefs didn’t just trade Hill away; they reinvented themselves. Andy Reid completely shifted his focus to exploiting space from sideline to sideline and in the intermediate part of the field. People often speak of how Mahomes won that Super Bowl without any great receivers—which is true—but Reid’s new plan of attack had those average wideouts finding space all over the field.
Over the last three seasons, the Chiefs simply haven’t been as productive. Personnel definitely deserves part of the blame, but Reid and his offensive staff haven’t been able to take the next step of evolution to get ahead of defenses again. The Chiefs need that to happen this offseason. It’s time to admit that “running it back” isn’t the solution. New ideas and new young talent are needed.
If the Chiefs can inject this team with new ideas and young, hungry, talented players, this dynasty can still be saved. This season is over. The streaks are over. The dynasty will be too if the Chiefs don’t take this opportunity to make some much-needed changes. Hopefully, the injury to Patrick Mahomes isn’t too serious, but his injury isn’t even the biggest threat to the future of this team. The biggest threat is complacency and inaction, and the Chiefs must now put all their attention toward defeating those threats.