Arrowhead Pride
The 2025 regular season is over, so it’s time for NFL media to finalize this year’s power rankings. After the Kansas City Chiefs’ 14-12 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, the writers settled the Chiefs into the bottom fourth of the NFL.
Here’s this week’s sampling:
(Up from 25)
Andy Reid will be back, as will Patrick Mahomes, once his rehabilitation from knee surgery is completed, giving the Chiefs a second chance at competing. We still don’t know Travis Kelce’s plans, and it appears as if there could be assistant coaching changes ahead, so there’s only so much we can project for this team’s immediate and long-term futures. But sprinkle dirt over the Chiefs’ graves at your own risk. It might feel like they’ve hit rock bottom, at least by the standards established over the past decade, but they’ll have an avenue toward re-emerging as contenders. To that end, how they go about doing it and how aggressive they are this offseason could be pretty telling.
— Eric Edholm
(Down from 22)
What we learned this season: The roster wasn’t as strong as the Chiefs believed in all three facets.
This was supposed to be the season that the Chiefs’ offense returned to being an elite unit. Instead, the group surrounding quarterback Patrick Mahomes couldn’t properly support him. Kansas City’s rushing attack was historically bad, while the young receivers (Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy) didn’t progress much. On defense, the pass rush lacked production around defensive tackle Chris Jones. Even the special teams unit took a step back with kicker Harrison Butker missing nine total kicks (field goals and extra points).
— Nate Taylor
(No change)
What’s next: Hitting this draft pick
Since drafting Patrick Mahomes 10th in 2017, the average position of Kansas City’s first pick has been 38. That’s the downside of being a dynasty. This year, the Chiefs will pick ninth, and they need to make it count. They’ll probably be looking for a skill-position player, considering Travis Kelce’s uncertain future and that Rashee Rice was their only receiver in the top 70 in yards per game.
— Josh Kendall
(No change)
Without Patrick Mahomes, they may not have won a single game.
— Mike Florio
(No change)
This season was an abject failure considering the preseason expectations. With Andy Reid coming back, the big question is when Patrick Mahomes (knee) will be healthy enough to play.
— Pete Prisco
(Up from 25)
The Chiefs lost to the Raiders in Week 18, a fitting end to a season we’ll remember as either the end of their dynasty or a strange pause in the middle of it. The Chiefs should bounce back if their luck in close games gets better, but everything is cloudy until timetables emerge on Patrick Mahomes’ recovery from knee surgery. It’s hard to project anything for...
