Ever since Patrick Mahomes took over as the starter in the 2018 season, the Kansas City Chiefs, year after year, exhibited an overwhelming amount of high-end NFL talent. Mahomes was unlike anything the league had ever seen before. And with weapons like prime Tyreek Hill and peak Travis Kelce by his side, it really didn't matter what defenses did. The Chiefs were going to hang 30 points one way or another.
On the defensive side of the football, Chris Jones, while being overshadowed league-wide by the great Aaron Donald at the defensive tackle position, was an elite player in his own right and the fulcrum of the Chiefs' defense. Sure, Kansas City had contributors to various extents in appearing in five Super Bowls in six years and winning three of them.
But by and large, it was that foursome, and after Hill departed, the threesome of Mahomes-Kelce-Jones, all no doubt future Hall of Famers in their prime, owning the most parity-driven pro sport in the world. It was a special era of football and one that birthed a dynasty in the house Lamar Hunt built.
But if these past two to three seasons are any indication, Kansas City needs to realize that's no longer the case. Mahomes, while only 30 and still in his prime, is coming off an ACL injury. Kelce is about to turn 37 years old and hasn't topped 1,000 yards in three years. And Jones, while still a very good player with hopefully one more top-tier season in him, is not the level of game-wrecker he once was to build a whole defense around.
The Chiefs need a championship formula built on execution, not just Hall of Fame talent
For too long, Andy Reid's offensive philosophy has been centered around Patrick Mahomes going out there and figuring it out. The Chiefs abandoned the run game, provided him with lackluster wide receivers, and relied on an aging Travis Kelce to shoulder the load of Mahomes' targets.
The offense became stale, predictable, and most of all, no fun. Kansas City was anything but that in Mahomes' beginning years. He had four seasons of 39-plus touchdowns and two years with over 5,000 passing yards. Since the 2023 regular season, however, Mahomes has barely eclipsed 4,000 passing yards once and failed to complete at least 30 scores through the air.
Mahomes has never benefited from having a 1,000-yard rusher in a single season over his career, and has not had a 1,000-yard wide receiver since Hill's departure four years ago. The 2026 season will be telling for the offense in a lot of ways. How much of an impact does a healthy offensive line and a star running back in Kenneth Walker III truly have? Does Reid freshen up his scheme to help Mahomes? And does the receiving duo of Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy finally live up to their draft stocks?
It's hard to look at the Chiefs defense and feel like there is going to be a change in philosophy. Jones still seems like the player they intend to build around. But Steve Spagnuolo has provided him help in a different kind of way, finally adding reputable pieces to Jones' position group with Khyiris Tonga and Peter Woods, along with edge-rusher R Mason Thomas. The defensive line boasts the most amount of talent and potential the Chiefs have had in years.
And the secondary, while possibly taking a step back after losing a superstar in Trent McDuffie and multi-year starters Jaylen Watson and Bryan Cook, should certainly not nose-dive. Veach traded up to No. 6 overall for cornerback Mansoor Delane and signed veteran safety Alohi Gilman to help out on the backend. Not to mention an expected year two jump from Nohl Williams.
Those are a lot of names I just rattled off, and more in the chamber still of big-time contributors that Kansas City needs to play well if they want to reach the promised land once again. The Chiefs can no longer put the bulk of the burden on three Hall of Famers to carry the load. Kelce and Jones are not who they used to be, and Mahomes is in a brace as we speak. The Chiefs need to be better than the sum of their parts, because all-time players in their prime are the hardest thing to come by in sports.
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