Following a 20-10 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday night, the Kansas City Chiefs fell to 6-7, and the football gods dropped an anvil on their playoff aspirations. It is now a mathematical certainty that the Chiefs will not repeat as AFC West champions for a 10th straight season. Their pursuit of a wild-card berth has extinguished all realistic hope, leaving them with just a 15% chance to reach the postseason. One can debate whether this marks the end of a dynasty, but what’s undeniable is that this iteration of the team is finished.
Once the offseason officially begins for the Chiefs, a debate will rage over whether head coach Andy Reid should be fired. That’s not the important question. Reid’s success makes the idea of his ouster seem irrational, but the future of this team isn’t about him. The central question for the next iteration of the Chiefs is how they maximize the back half of Patrick Mahomes’ career. He is the cornerstone of the franchise. Reid is in the twilight of his own career, and contrary to popular opinion, he has not earned the right to waste Mahomes’ prime years.
At root, there must be significant change on Reid’s offensive coaching staff if he is retained. The ideas are stale, and it’s long past time for new voices. This isn’t a knee-jerk reaction. The offense has been in decline for years, but the ineptitude reached critical mass in 2025. The status quo cannot stand after watching this team miss the playoffs in a wide-open AFC. Some argue that Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt should demand a reconstruction of Reid’s staff, but accountability must come from another source.
This iteration of the Chiefs has run its course, and it’s time for Kansas City to look ahead to the future.
It’s time for Patrick Mahomes to advocate for his future with this team. The franchise’s best shot at meaningful change is Mahomes pushing for legitimate transformation. Whether offensive coordinator Matt Nagy lands a job in the upcoming coaching cycle remains uncertain. If he doesn’t, the likelihood of his return to Kansas City is high. And on the off chance he is relieved of duty, Reid has historically hired only within his coaching tree — a prohibitive approach given the scale of change the Chiefs now require.
When the smoke clears after the 2025 season, some intriguing names at offensive coordinator could emerge — Mike McDaniel, Kliff Kingsbury, and Kevin Stefanski come to mind. Without intervention, interim Giants head coach Mike Kafka may be the most realistic option. At any rate, a shakeup is essential, and Mahomes’ influence is key to bringing fresh voices to One Arrowhead Drive. Unfortunately, the offense isn’t the only unit in need of new blood.
With all respect to special teams coordinator Dave Toub, it’s time to move on. His unit has been an anchor on this football team for far too long. Week after week, the return game produces back-breaking penalties that do no favors for an already struggling offense. Something has been off with kicker Harrison Butker for a stretch, and Toub and his staff have yet to fix it. There was a time when his units were a hidden strength of the team. Now, they’re a liability.
This isn’t necessarily the end of the dynasty for Kansas City, but 2025 is a reckoning. Dynasties typically don’t collapse overnight, but there’s a real hubris that has led this team to an unfortunate place this season. This franchise has clung to certain comforts and grown predictable. Kansas City still has the rarest advantage in football: Patrick Mahomes in his prime. The question is whether ownership, coaching, and Mahomes himself will seize this moment to demand transformation. The next era of Chiefs football will not be gifted; it must be built with urgency, vision, and accountability.