After Regular Season Struggles, Chiefs Offense Has Chance to Soar in Playoffs

The Kansas City Chiefs have the opportunity to do something exciting in the playoffs. Of course, there’s the opportunity to be the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls, which remains Kansas City's most pressing and most exciting goal. However, the past two seasons have left many to think something has been missing from these Chiefs teams. High-powered offensive performances have been absent for long stretches of the last two years, but that could all change when their playoff run begins.

Before the season, there were high hopes for Kansas City's offense. The Chiefs built around the always-reliable Travis Kelce and second-year wide receiver Rashee Rice by drafting Xavier Worthy and signing Marquise "Hollywood" Brown in free agency. Things were lining up for this team to have their best offense since 2018, when quarterback Patrick Mahomes was able to throw for more than 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns.

We all know things didn’t exactly play out according to preseason expectations. Brown went down with a nearly season-ending injury after his first catch in the preseason. Rice suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 4. Worthy had to jump through the rookie hoops and didn’t really start rolling until late in the season, much like Rice the year before. Statistically, Kelce had one of his worst seasons as a pro. Starting running back Isiah Pacheco went to IR for over half of the season after an injury in Week 2. The offense had their fair share of struggles.

Counteracting their injuries and depth issues, the Chiefs added a key piece to the receiving room when they traded for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. The future Hall of Famer instantly brought experience to the locker room, but he was never fully thrust into the offense on game days. Hopkins likely needed some time to acclimate to the Chiefs' offense, but the Chiefs also saved themselves some draft capital due to the fact that Hopkins played less than half of the team's offensive snaps after being acquired.

DeAndre Hopkins saw less than 50% of regular season snaps in 2024, meaning the #Chiefs will send the #Titans a 2025 5th round pick (instead of a potential 4th).
— Spotrac (@spotrac) January 7, 2025

Now that the playoffs have arrived, the Chiefs can unleash Hopkins to play however many snaps they desire without considering trade conditions. Given what we’ve seen from Hopkins in limited snaps, this will make the Chiefs even more dangerous for the playoffs.

Worthy evolved into one of the Chiefs' best playmakers in the back half of the season. The rookie averaged 56 yards per game through the air while remaining a threat out of the backfield at times and scoring four touchdowns during that stretch. His best two games of the year happened to be the final two meaningful games of the regular season, against the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers. In those must-win games to lock up the No. 1 seed, Worthy had seven catches for 65 yards and a touchdown against the Texans and eight catches for 79 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers. It’s been an impressive jump for Worthy, and he could be used as a deep threat in this playoff run.

Brown was able to make his regular season debut against the Texans in Week 16, and he impressed immediately with a big third down catch to keep the chains moving. He finished the game with five catches for 45 yards, and he and Mahomes just missed on a deep ball connection that could have made for an even bigger game. Brown added four catches for 46 yards against the Steelers on Christmas Day. It feels like Brown will only continue to build and make his presence known in the playoffs.

How about old man Kelce? He ended the season on a high note, finishing with eight catches for 84 yards and a record-breaking touchdown in the Chiefs' 29-10 win over the Steelers. Things are looking up for this offense as they have had plenty of rest to get rejuvenated and ready to roll for this final stretch of the season.

There are a few question marks heading into the playoffs for the offense, including how to handle the left tackle position and how the running back room will be used. Those are valid conversations to be had around the table with friends and family as game time gets closer. However, it seems reasonable to assume that head coach Andy Reid will know what is best for this team and will draw up the necessary game plan to make sure the offense is hitting its stride at the perfect time.

As long as the Chiefs don’t turn over the ball at a crazy rate, they should be able to drive their way through the Texans in the divisional round and host another AFC championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium once again. Watching some fireworks on the offensive side of the ball would be a nice way to keep everyone entertained to kick off the NFL’s divisional round weekend.

Read More: Travis Kelce on Possibility of Retirement, What’s Missing from His Game as He Ages