Arrowhead Pride
If you thought the Kansas City Chiefs’ season could not get worse, Sunday confirmed that it could. Not only were the Chiefs lifeless in a 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers that eliminated them from playoff contention, but franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL in the fourth quarter. It ends his 2025 season and jeopardizes his availability for the 2026 campaign.
The team will need to make changes. Before the game, it appeared that one good offseason could get Kansas City back in contention for 2026. But now — even if the Chiefs execute a sound strategy over the spring and summer — it might not translate to being viable contenders next season.
What can we expect?
Will Mahomes play in 2026? Almost certainly. If he returns in nine months, that’s right after the start of the regular season. Fans fans can expect the quarterback to attack his rehabilitation, considering that he already had the surgery he needed. With modern science in recovery, tearing the ACL is not a career-ending injury.
But at what level will Mahomes be able to play? Even if he’s cleared, he won’t be the same player. It could take time to regain trust in his knee. His mechanics are likely to be affected. He will probably scramble less. Finally, he will have a shortened offseason.
So it is unlikely that the two-time MVP will immediately be able to play like a top-tier quarterback. As he recovers, he won’t be able to be a superhero who can carry his team to victory. To put it another way: we saw Mahomes do everything he could to reach a 6-8 this season. But if he couldn’t scramble, what record would Kansas City now have? Probably something like 4-10.
So what are the next steps?
Sunday’s game demonstrated how much effort Mahomes has had to make to drag a poorly-constructed offense along behind him.
Once again, the running game was useless. Even though Los Angeles ran pass-minded defensive schemes that invited runs, the Chiefs had 19 carries for only 34 yards. Running backs Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt have just not proven to be starting-caliber players this season. No team fears Kansas City’s running game, which is treated like a chore by the play-calling.
Without having to deal with the running game, the Chargers were able to tee off on Mahomes. Los Angeles didn’t blitz once, but registered pressure on over half of his dropbacks. With three backup offensive linemen in front of Mahomes, it was bound to be a disaster.
And once again, the Chiefs’ wide receivers could not catch in traffic, create yards after the catch or separate against man coverage — which is why Kansas City’s offense is seeing man coverage at one of the league’s highest rates.
The team’s offensive scheme is not ideal for this era of football. The NFL’s best offenses are blending runs and passes at an extraordinary...
