It's impossible to distill the Kansas City Chiefs' failures in 2025 down to a single issue or even area of concern. As the Chiefs watched the Los Angeles Chargers celebrate a victory at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 15—and a rare sweep of K.C. on the season—fans could only shake their heads knowing that their favorite team was undone by a litany of concerns in every facet of the organization.
From roster issues that can be traced back to the front office, to questionable play calls or odd player usage that can be traced to the coaching staff, to poor execution on the field on the part of basically every player on the roster, the Chiefs issues are legion.
Nick Wright, host of First Things First for Fox Sports, is a well-known Chiefs enthusiast. We've also learned to appreciate his takes on all things Chiefs-related, and he summed the entire situation quite well following the franchise's 16-13 loss to the Chargers.
It’s been a totally surreal 7 year run.
— nick wright (@getnickwright) December 14, 2025
5 Super Bowl trips, 3 Rings, played in the Conference Championship game every single year.
Everything caught up with them this year & they just didn’t have it.
No shame in that, just is what it is.
Now we just pray Patrick is OK.
With that single post, Wright properly distilled down the emotions for Chiefs Kingdom at the present moment. Few fan bases will ever enjoy the run of sustained success that Kansas City's have taken in over the last several years. So many of the records broken, so many of the heights achieved, so many of the lasting moments will be appreciated all the more as NFL history reflects back on this historic period with highlight videos and Hall of Fame induction ceremonies for the parties involved.
At the same time, the bills came due in a lot of ways for the Chiefs this season. Questionable roster decisions left the team barren at key positions down the stretch. The team's inability to sign or draft talent at spots that were deemed a need for multiple years in a row left them leaning on below-average talent for a significant amount of reps. The front office has a lot to answer for this offseason as they try to turn the corner from such a disappointing showing.
The coaching staff also faces major questions this offseason as they try to respond to a league that has clearly figured them out. Andy Reid needs to allow new voices to shape the team's offense going forward. Steve Spagnuolo's stubborn tendencies are hurting the Chiefs in myriad ways. As for Matt Nagy, maybe another team will take him off the Chiefs' hands.
The players need to own their part in all of this as well. Some of the same players are making the same mistakes week after week, season after season. Execution was abysmal most weeks this season, and yet each post-game media session brought only the same generic quotes about getting a little bit better without corresponding results.
Everything eventually finds its end. The Chiefs weren't going to represent the AFC in every Super Bowl from here on out. They weren't going to run the table in the AFC West indefinitely. A team that selects at the bottom of every round in every draft in every year is going to eventually find itself in a talent deficit, especially as the cap hits for its aging stars grow larger and larger.
As Wright says, "It is what it is." The reign is now over. Now it's about course correction to see if they can begin another run with Mahomes at the helm.