The Kansas City Chiefs have quickly become the league's villains over the last half-decade due to years of winning. When Patrick Mahomes is healthy, the team's season has never ended short of the AFC Championship. While this is due to the greatness of the quarterback and coaching staff, it is understandable that the rest of the league has appeared to slowly turn on Kansas City due to the continual dominance. However, there is reason to believe heading into the 2026 season that the franchise should no longer be viewed in this light, but rather as underdogs.
Looking at strength of schedule rankings, the Chiefs find themselves with the fifth-highest degree of difficulty. The Miami Dolphins are the lone AFC team expected to have a tougher road, with Kansas City being put on its heels due to consistent matchups with the league's best teams.
Added to this is the fact that the franchise is leaning on an incredibly inexperienced receiver room and has to rebuild a secondary that is starting complete unknowns. All of this adds up to giving KC every reason to adopt an underdog mentality as they approach the 2026 season. So often the Chiefs have been overlooked and disrespected, and that has never been more accurate than after the team's 2025 collapse.
Chiefs should head into 2026 season with obvious underdog mentality
It is important to note that an underdog mentality doesn't undo the past accomplishments or point to the end of an ongoing dynasty. Rather, it is dealing with the obvious that the road has never been more difficult in the Mahomes era. When you look at roster changes, schedule strength, and confidence of rivals, there is no question that this is the most difficult path that the Chiefs have faced in recent years.
Added into the mix is the fact that your star quarterback is coming off an underwhelming season prior to suffering an ACL injury, which has his status to start the year in question. All of this builds the case that the Chiefs can embrace an underdog role that hasn't felt fitting since the very start of Reid's time with Mahomes.
In the early seasons, Kansas City was often doubted, and Mahomes' accomplishments were pointed to as a byproduct of Reid, Travis Kelce, and Tyreek Hill. While this has long been disproven, there is no doubt that the quarterback is again being questioned coming off an injury.
Kansas City's road starts in the 2026 season, taking on the Denver Broncos in a game that the league has featured for good reason. It is a chance for Kansas City to embrace this new outlook and welcome the challenge of taking back control of a division they had owned prior to last season. As difficult as the schedule might be, it serves as an opportunity for the Chiefs to embrace a new role and return to relevance after an outlier of a season.
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