Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs headlines for Saturday, July 19
Judging 2025 NFL offseason overreactions: Bucs, Browns, more | ESPN
The Chiefs’ streak of nine straight AFC West titles will come to an end
The verdict: OVERREACTION
As wobbly as the Chiefs looked last season, they still won 15 games in the regular season and 17 total. They finished four games ahead of the Chargers and five ahead of the Broncos in spite of conceding the final game of the season in Denver by sitting their starters.
That’s a ton of ground for those teams to make up, even if they both have improved their rosters. Especially because the Chiefs probably got better, too!
They believe they’ve improved at left tackle by signing Jaylon Moore and drafting Josh Simmons in the first round. Wide receiver Rashee Rice was sentenced Thursday to 30 days in jail, which can be served at any point during a five-year probationary period, but is back from the injury that ended his season early. Additionally, Hollywood Brown is back from the ACL injury that forced him to start his season late. Add in the improvements that 2024 first-round pick Xavier Worthy made throughout last season, and Mahomes has reason to feel a lot better about his wide receiver group.
A healthy running back Isiah Pacheco and a slimmed-down tight end Travis Kelce help round out a skill group determined to avenge that embarrassing Super Bowl loss. The Chiefs aren’t giving this division up easily.
Projecting 2025 NFL QBs by Tiers: Where All 32 Will Rank at Season’s End | SI
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Mahomes is coming off his worst statistical season of his career, yet he guided the Chiefs to their fifth Super Bowl appearance in six seasons. There are a few reasons to believe he’ll be much better in 2025.
Kansas City was besieged by injury last year, with Rashee Rice and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown being limited to six regular-season games between them. Rice was on a torrid pace before tearing his ACL, catching 24 passes for 288 yards in three games. In the backfield, Isiah Pacheco played only seven games after fracturing his fibula in Week 2. When he returned, Pacheco never looked right, averaging 3.6 yards per carry.
Left tackle was also a revolving door, which saw the Chiefs play Wanya Morris, Kingsley Suamataia, D.J. Humphries and Joe Thuney. In training camp, veteran Jaylon Moore and first-round pick Josh Simmons will battle for the job. With the line constantly in flux, Mahomes was pressured on 23.3% of dropbacks, the ninth-worst rate for a quarterback with at least 300 pass attempts.
This season, the left tackle will be either free-agent signing Jaylon Moore or first-round pick Josh Simmons. Factoring in the continued maturation of second-year receiver Xavier Worthy after posting nine touchdowns as a rookie, Mahomes should be far more dynamic.
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