Injuries decimated the offense, the defense faltered in crucial moments, and special teams faltered. An NFL writer dissects the Chiefs' surprising 2025 collapse.
All around, the 2025 season was one to forget for Kansas City Chiefs fans. Not only was it the team’s first losing season since 2012, but there were many moments of demoralization and letdowns along the way.
In his recent piece for The Athletic, Jesse Newell detailed all the aspects of the 2025 season that went wrong for the Chiefs and why the magic seemed to run out for the team after a dream-like run for the past eight or so years.
The first problem that took the Chiefs off their usual AFC West-winning course last season was their subpar – to their standards – offense. Since quarterback Patrick Mahomes took over in Kansas City, the Chiefs have been used to being the most dangerous show in football on the offensive side of things. That was far from the case in 2025, however, as injuries and mistake after mistake loomed over the Chiefs all season long.
They went the first six games of the season without their No. 1 receiver, Rashee Rice, due to suspension, and matters were only made worse when receiver Xavier Worthy dislocated his shoulder just a few snaps into the season. With his top two receivers out or injured to start the year, Mahomes was facing an uphill battle already. It’s no surprise the Chiefs were under .500 through the first five weeks of the season.
Even when things started to click for Kansas City as the season went on, injuries again became a factor in the final stretch. Offensive tackles Jawaan Taylor and Josh Simmons went out in Week 13 and never returned. The backups, Jaylon Moore and Wanya Morris, also suffered injuries, leaving the Chiefs to their third options at both tackle positions. The final injury blow, of course, came in Week 15 when Mahomes himself went down with a torn ACL, effectively putting an end to the Chiefs' postseason streak.
The defense didn’t make up for the slow offensive year in Kansas City. As Newell believes, the defense losing its ‘clutch touch’ was the second reason why the season ended the way it did for the Chiefs.
Kansas City let close games slip away, allowing opposing offenses to take leads in the final minutes of several games. The first six losses of the season for the Chiefs came by seven points or less, meaning the defense was just one stop away from a potential win. Newell cited poor execution on third-and-longs, poor pass rush, and a lack of turnovers as reasons why the Chiefs' defense wasn’t as potent as in years before.
The final piece of the losing puzzle in Kansas City in 2025, according to Newell, was lackluster special teams play. Kicker Harrison Butker uncharacteristically missed several kicks in the first month of the season, where the Chiefs lost two games by a total of nine points. The return teams failed to ever take games into their own hands and score a touchdown of their own. Missed field goals, missed extra points, and a lack of explosive returns added more dirt onto the grave for the Chiefs in 2025.
It’s hard to give just three reasons as to why a team can go from playing in the Super Bowl to winning just six games the next year. With that said, the Chiefs’ peculiar offense, un-clutch defense, and a drop in special teams efficiency can reasonably receive blame for how 2025 went. Still, with a healthy team in 2026 and assuming they make necessary changes this offseason, there’s still reason to believe the Chiefs can return as competitors in the AFC once again.