The Kansas City Chiefs came out of their bye week looking even better in the standings than they did going in.
That’s what happens when you’re already undefeated, get a chance to rest some starters and heal up, and then watch a few rivals stumble. While Kansas City sat at 4-0, the Las Vegas Raiders took a major step backward and the Denver Broncos won despite turning in some very rough football. The result left the Chiefs with a clearer view of the AFC West, and a more comfortable cushion with two 3-2 teams trailing behind them.
Even so, the lead feels wider than the numbers say. Kansas City gets the Los Angeles Chargers at home on Sunday, and that matchup looks very manageable on paper.
The Broncos are still the Chiefs’ main competition in the division, but their offense is making it tough to take them seriously right now. That side of the ball looked flat-out bad again, and at this stage it’s hard to see them as anything more than a team hanging around.
The Raiders’ loss to the New England Patriots only deepened that concern. Las Vegas was outplayed and outclassed, and they now look like a team that may top out at seven or eight wins if things break their way.
For the Chiefs, the bigger picture stretches beyond the division race. Their attention is on a pair of 4-1 teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens, and they’ll also have an eye on the 3-1 Buffalo Bills when they visit the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night.
Still, the Chargers game fits the definition of a trap game. It’s easy to look past a home date like that with road trips to the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos coming next. The task for Andy Reid and the rest of the coaching staff is keeping the team locked in.
Kansas City has its formula. The next challenge is making sure a little comfort doesn’t turn into overconfidence.
In Other News...
Chiefs Still Have A Left Tackle Problem They Cant Define
Josh Simmons entered the Chiefs plans with plenty of intrigue after a torn patellar tendon two years ago altered his draft path, and his recovery has been watched closely ever since. He did enough in rehab to win the starting job for the first five games of the 2025 season, which at least suggested Kansas City might have found some stability at left tackle after a long search for it.
Instead, the position remains unsettled because Simmons has barely been on the field since arriving in Kansas City. He has played in only eight of the teams 21 games since being drafted, and the club still does not have a clear timetable for when he might be back, leaving the Chiefs to keep sorting out the blind-side spot without a defined answer. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Unbeaten Start Is Rewriting What Fans Thought About This Roster
The early weeks of the season have given Kansas City a very different kind of storyline than many around the league expected. A perfect 4-0 start has pushed the Chiefs into a place where the usual questions about aging stars and depth pieces have, at least for now, been replaced by evidence that this roster is producing in all the right places. Kenneth Walker III has been one of the biggest drivers of that surge, Travis Kelce has been dependable again, and rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane has already looked like he belongs after going sixth overall.
What makes the opening month especially interesting is how much of this success has come from players who were not penciled in as the main attraction when the season began. Kahlil Benson, in particular, has carved out an unexpected role up front, giving the Chiefs stability at a spot that often decides how far a team can go. The bigger question now is whether this fast start reflects a real reworking of what the roster can be, or just the kind of early-season momentum that still needs to survive the grind ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Receiver Shakeup Leaves Bigger Questions After The Bye
Andy Reids post-bye injury update left the Chiefs with another reshuffle to manage at receiver, where depth has already been tested and the room may look different once the team gets back to work. Reid said Tyquan Thornton is likely headed for injured reserve because of an ankle injury, while linebacker Cam Jones is expected to be activated from the practice squad, and Kansas City is bringing back Justin Watson, who spent the 2022-2024 seasons in the building.
The bigger question, though, is what comes next for the passing game once players return to the facility and the team gets a clearer read on Rashee Rice and left tackle Josh Simmons. Reid indicated more information is coming after that next round of evaluations, which leaves the Chiefs waiting on two important pieces while trying to sort out how much of their offensive plan can be stabilized coming out of the break. [Read more 🡒]