What the Chiefs Don’t Have To Worry About

The Kansas City Chiefs missed the playoffs last season. Here's why they shouldn't worry about their chances next season.

Nov 27, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) warms up prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs didn't have a good time last season. They saw plenty of costly injuries, including to their star quarterback, and they ended a decade-long streak of dominating their division and making it into the playoffs.

They're hoping they can bounce back next season, and there are a lot of signs that point to them successfully doing so. Patrick Mahomes is eying a return by the first week of next season, and they reunited with Eric Bieniemy, who was their offensive coordinator during their offensive peak. Why should the Chiefs feel confident they can make it back to the postseason?

Encouraging Signs

Feb 12, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, US; Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy against the Philadelphia Eagles during Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Zoltán Buday writes for Pro Football Focus, and he identified three teams that missed the playoffs in 2025 that will be back in 2026. The Chiefs headlined that list, and the reason why is simple: they have the best quarterback in the world calling the shots.

"Regardless of how the 2025 season unfolded, it's hard to bet against the Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes under center. There are indeed plenty of question marks surrounding his receiving corps, including whether tight end Travis Kelce will return for his 14th NFL season and regarding which young receiver can take a step forward between Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice", said Buday.

Dec 14, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) runs the ball during the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Even if the Chiefs only won six games last season, a lot of their losses came down to the wire and were by one score. I'm not trying to make excuses, but a lot of things simply didn't go their way in 2025. There's no way their injury luck persists next season, and this team can easily get back on track.

Even with Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy not being able to get many snaps together, Mahomes led the Chiefs' offense to a lot of success. Bieniemy's return should result in a boost in the passing game, and as long as they can address their poor rushing attack, their offense could easily be top-ten in the NFL and be the catalyst to this team's success.

Sep 28, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy (1) runs the ball against the Baltimore Ravens during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The biggest concern for me moving forward and the biggest threat to their hopes of making it back into the playoffs is their defense. They don't have sufficient cap space to address all of their needs on that side of the ball, and one area of their roster will either stay the same or be worse than it was last season.

However, if their offense is good enough, it can bypass some of the issues of their defense and will get them back into the postseason.

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