The AFC West no longer belongs to the Chiefs the way it once did, and that alone has changed the conversation around Kansas City. After nine straight division titles, the streak is gone. The Chiefs finished third this past season, with the Denver Broncos taking the crown and the Los Angeles Chargers ending up ahead of Kansas City as well.
That shift is part of a bigger reality for Chiefs fans to absorb: the rest of the division has either caught up already, or looks like it could if the breaks go the right way. The Chargers are the most obvious example, and they’re the team that keeps popping up in the same old Super Bowl chatter.
Yes, it’s the same conversation Chiefs fans have heard before. The annual “Chargers are Super Bowl contenders” talk has become a familiar refrain.
But there’s a reason it keeps resurfacing, and Jim Harbaugh has something to do with it. He has already shown he can make a real difference for that franchise.
That point came up again in a recent FanSided write-up from Jason La Canfora about why the Cowboys are being viewed as dark-horse Super Bowl contenders. The Chargers got mention there too, with longtime NFL general manager Marty Hurney offering a blunt assessment of Los Angeles’ offseason.
“I think the Chargers and the Cowboys are the two most improved teams in the league, for me, as far as moving up to a position where they could really win the whole thing," Hurney said. "They both have the QB and they have that QB-head coach combination and they have had a great offseason..."
For Kansas City, the silver lining is that none of this is new. The Chargers have been getting this kind of hype year after year, and it has not translated when the games matter most. They’ve looked strong in the regular season the past two years and reached the playoffs under Harbaugh, but they’ve fallen short there, including two playoff games under him that were not played well.
If Los Angeles is going to be taken seriously as a Super Bowl threat, that has to change. The Chiefs once lived with that same kind of skepticism until Patrick Mahomes changed the script and Kansas City finally got over the hump.
The question now is whether the Chargers can do the same. And if they can, they’d become a much more serious problem for the Chiefs in the years ahead. Chiefs fans, naturally, are hoping the answer stays no.
In Other News...
Former Chiefs Lineman Jumps Into WNBA Firestorm With Blunt Take
The aftermath of Caitlin Clarks latest run-in with physical play has spilled well beyond the WNBA court, and former Chiefs lineman Geoff Schwartz made it clear he was not interested in the softer readings of what happened. The incident drew immediate attention around Indiana and across the league, with Clark at the center of another high-profile contact play that quickly became a bigger conversation than the game itself.
Schwartz pushed back publicly on those defending Alyssa Thomas and, in his view, trying to recast the moment in a more favorable light. For a league already under intense scrutiny whenever Clark is involved in a collision or a contentious whistle, the reaction from a former NFL player added another layer to an argument that does not seem close to cooling off. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs First Round Picks Are Already Headed In Very Different Directions
The Chiefs first-round class has already taken on two very different early shapes as OTAs and minicamp wind down. Peter Woods has drawn steady notice inside the building for the way he moves and carries himself, with coaches and veterans taking to his athleticism and professionalism, while the team also sees a path for him to chip in on the defensive line in a rotational role.
Mansoor Delane, meanwhile, still looks like part of the cornerback picture once camp opens, but his spring work was interrupted enough to leave the competition around him in flux. With Kansas City expecting a real battle at corner, every rep matters, and Woods fast start on one side of the ball and Delanes abbreviated spring on the other have already nudged the conversation in a couple of different directions. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Fans May Not Like Where This Linebacker Battle Is Heading
The Chiefs are still sorting out one of their quieter but important defensive questions heading into 2026, and it starts with the strongside linebacker spot left open after Leo Chenal signed with the Washington Commanders. It is the kind of job that can get overlooked in the spring, but for Kansas City it matters because the player there has to handle both the physical run fit and the moving parts that come with the role in Steve Spagnuolos defense.
Jeffrey Bassa is in the mix, but his profile points more naturally toward weakside linebacker, which leaves the Chiefs weighing how best to use him while keeping the SAM spot covered. That is why camp will be worth watching closely, especially with rookie Mason Thomas possibly getting a look there in certain packages and other internal options still on the board. [Read more 🡒]