The Chiefs are 3-0 again, but this one feels different.
After Sunday’s two-touchdown win over the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., the mood inside the visiting locker room sounded nothing like a team simply checking off another early-season box. Travis Kelce, who capped the victory with a late touchdown, came around the corner and made the feeling impossible to miss.
“Three and oh, baby!” he shouted.
That line mattered because it matched the vibe. Kansas City has opened 3-0 for the fifth time in the past nine years, but this start doesn’t carry the same stale, automatic feel that seemed to hang over parts of last season.
This one feels earned. It feels lighter.
It even feels fun again.
“Yes,” veteran offensive lineman Trey Smith said, “you can definitely say that.”
The change is about more than the record. It’s about what the Chiefs are doing with it - and how they’re treating winning itself.
Over the last half-decade, success became so common in Kansas City that it started to lose some of its shine. Brett Veach pointed to that in February 2025 in New Orleans, where the Chiefs were gathered in a hotel ballroom on Canal Street a few days before their third straight Super Bowl appearance.
The question then wasn’t whether they had won enough. It was why so many of those wins had gone down to the final play.
Veach remembered a different version of the franchise, back when victories still felt like events.
“I remember when I first got here and you’d win a game, and you’d go into the locker room, and it would be so exciting,” he said. “And when you won a division, it was so exciting. And now it’s like - and I’m only speaking for myself - when you win a game, you’re in the parking lot, and you’ve already (moved) on.
“It’s not the way it should be. Those are the kickbacks of when you win a lot.”
That mindset had seeped into last season, when even a 15-2 record could feel strangely flat. The Chiefs were winning, but not always celebrating it. By the time reporters got into the room after some games, the postgame buzz had already faded into something closer to relief.
Wide receiver Rashee Rice thinks that mattered.
“I think that’s the reason we probably weren’t as successful last year,” Rice told The Star. “I think the worst part about it is we got comfortable expecting to win.”
That expectation showed up in the way Kansas City handled games. The Chiefs spent much of last season grinding through three quarters and leaning on late-game escapes. They were one of the worst fourth-quarter teams in football, ranking 27th in offensive yards per play at 4.60 in those final periods.
This season has looked different in that area. Through three games, the Chiefs rank third in the NFL in fourth-quarter yards per play at 6.29. They didn’t exactly cruise past Miami, but they did finish stronger, doubling the Dolphins in fourth-quarter yards.
Patrick Mahomes said the lesson is about more than perfection.
“I think over the last few years (when) you go to the Super Bowl, it’s like you think you need to play perfect every single week,” Mahomes said. “I think almost as important is how do you play when everything is not going perfect.”
That message fits the broader reset around the team. The work still goes on - Mahomes started watching the film Monday, the defensive coordinator spoke Thursday about things he wanted cleaned up, and the offensive coordinator followed with his own list of corrections. The difference is in the attitude around all of it.
The Chiefs are still chasing fixes. They still have issues to sort through on offense, in the backfield, on defense and in coaching. But they are also trying to hold onto something that got away when winning became normal.
“Don’t get tired of winning,” Mahomes said.
That sounded less like a slogan than a warning. And after a 3-0 start that actually feels like one, the Chiefs seem determined to take it seriously.
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Tom Bradys latest NFL power rankings for FOX Sports after Week 3 stirred the usual debate, and for Kansas City, the conversation is less about who sits at the top than who is being watched closely. Brady bumped the 49ers to No. 1 after their unbeaten start, dropped the Seahawks to No. 6 after their first loss, and also praised Brock Purdy while sliding the Raiders into the top five because of their undefeated record.
For Chiefs fans, the bigger question is where Kansas City fits in that pecking order and what Bradys eye test says about the teams chasing it. Any ranking this early invites argument, especially when unbeaten teams are rewarded and a contender like Seattle can fall quickly after one slip, which is exactly the kind of setup that keeps a weekly debate alive around the league. [Read more 🡒]
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San Francisco and Las Vegas are also said to be in the mix, which only adds to the intrigue for Kansas City if the Jaguars decide to listen. Jacksonville has enough other receivers to potentially make such a move possible, and for the Chiefs, the appeal is obvious: adding a player like Thomas could alter the ceiling of an offense that still has room to grow. [Read more 🡒]