Don't write the Kansas City Chiefs off just yet
By Andy Davies
The Kansas City Chiefs were written off, down and out.
An 0-2 start, including defeats to the Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles, had many fearing the worst for Andy Reid’s side.
Phrases such as Super Bowl hangover and End of a dynasty were thrown around after the opening two weeks. Even after their first win, a 22-9 victory over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, this was not the most convincing of performances from a Chiefs offense,
However, their Week Four win over the Baltimore Ravens showed everyone why they are not going away just yet.
Mahomes can make anything happen
For the first time in his storied career, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes lost three games in a row. From the Super Bowl LIX loss to those two aforementioned defeats to the Chargers and Eagles, this set him into unprecedented territory in comparison to the rest of his professional career to date.
With two of these three defeats against the same opponent, there was a growing feeling that this team were past their sell-by date and Mahomes was not the quarterback he once was. Whilst his playoff credentials were never in doubt, his regular season performances were raising concern. With the Chargers two wins clear of the Chiefs after Week Three and having the division tiebreaker due to their win in Brazil, the AFC West was predicted to potentially see a different team win it for the first time since the 2015 campaign.
After a shock Week Four loss for the Chargers against the Giants and a 37-20 win for the Chiefs over the Baltimore Ravens, this has completely opened up the division.
The results of Week Four plus the talent of Mahomes means that neither the Chargers should not be getting comfortable in the slightest when it comes to securing the division.
Hollywood Brown is their best receiver this season when it comes to receiving yards, but the total is a measly 209 yards, which puts him 37th in the entire league. Despite this, Mahomes is in the top 10 for passing yards (8th– 939) and passing touchdowns (9th– seven) and only seven NFL players have caught for more touchdowns than Tyquan Thornton.
Of course, there have been times where the offense has looked bleak, no more so than being one of four teams to not win a single regular season game in 2024 with 30 points or more. The Giants win showed flaws back in Week Three. However, they still made the Super Bowl last season and lost their opening two games by a combined nine points.
This Chiefs team may not have the regular season moments of magic that they once did, but there is always the feeling that they are keeping their best work saved for the postseason.
Steve Spagnuolo up to his old tricks?
A big contributor towards the Chiefs’ recent success is the work of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
There have been some big moments in recent years on defense through important moments, with Spagnuolo dialling up some excellent play calls to perfectly compliment the Chiefs’ dynamic offense.
By all means, the Chiefs defense is not perfect, ranking as the 12th worst run defense so far in 2025. On the other hand, only 11 teams have allowed fewer total yards, they rank eighth in points allowed and seventh against the pass.
Whilst they did allow the Chargers and Eagles to score 27 points and 20 points respectively, they have only allowed one touchdown across the past three weeks. Whilst Russell Wilson is nowhere near the quarterback he once way, a player that has since been benched for rookie Jaxson Dart, Jalen Hurts is the reigning Super Bowl MVP and Lamar Jackson has won two of the past three MVP awards.
The Chiefs may be finding their groove at the right time on defensive under one of the greatest defensive coordinators to ever do it.
ANDY DAVIES
NFL ANALYST
ANDY IS A SPORTS JOURNALISM GRADUATE WITH OVER FIVE YEARS EXPERIENCE OF NFL WRITING AND PODCASTING. ANDY HAS BEEN TO EVERY NFL STADIUM AND IS THE HOST OF THE ACROSS THE POD PODCAST. HE HAS PRESS PASS EXPERIENCE AT THE LONDON GAMES AND MANY OTHER NFL BASED EVENTS SUCH AS THE SUPER BOWL, HAVING INTERVIEWED THE LIKES OF AARON RODGERS, JASON BELL, OSI UMENYIORA, PATRICK MAHOMES, TRAVIS KELCE, DERRICK HENRY, SAQUON BARKLEY AND JALEN HURTS.