Sophie Cunningham knows a thing or two about winning-and what happens when winning starts to cost you. The WNBA champion and current Indiana Fever standout, fresh off a Commissioner's Cup title in 2025, offered a thoughtful take on the Kansas City Chiefs' recent struggles. And according to her, the dynasty they built might be part of the reason they’re now fighting just to stay in the playoff picture.
On her podcast Show Me Something, which she co-hosts with West Wilson, Cunningham didn’t hold back when discussing why the Chiefs-winners of three Super Bowls in six years-are suddenly sitting at .500 and third in the AFC West.
“Not not over it,” Cunningham said, referencing the Chiefs’ recent Thanksgiving loss to Dallas. “But I also think that when you do experience that and you don't have all the tools that you need, you know what you're lacking.”
Her point is one NFL fans know well: when you build a championship roster, eventually the bill comes due. Players want to get paid-and they should.
But when stars leave for bigger contracts elsewhere, the talent drain is real. And if you don’t replace that talent, the cracks start to show.
That’s what Kansas City is dealing with now. After back-to-back Super Bowl wins, the team lost several key contributors in the offseason.
The chemistry and consistency that once defined them have been harder to come by. And while Patrick Mahomes is still doing Mahomes things-he’s thrown for 3,238 yards and 22 touchdowns, ranking fourth in the league in passing yards-it hasn’t been enough to mask the gaps elsewhere.
Cunningham summed it up like this: “If you don't replace it, then like everyone knows you're lacking what got you there the past whatever years.”
It’s a sharp observation, and one that rings true across all sports. Sustained success often means tough roster decisions. And in a league with a hard salary cap, even the best-run teams eventually face the consequences of their own success.
Interestingly, Cunningham had picked the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl as recently as November. That prediction is looking a little shaky now, with Kansas City needing help just to secure a wild-card spot. The margin for error is gone.
They’ll get another shot to right the ship this Sunday when they host the Houston Texans in primetime. But it won’t be easy.
The Texans are 7-5, winners of five of their last six, and they come into Arrowhead with the league’s best scoring defense. For Mahomes and the Chiefs, it’s a must-win game against a team that’s peaking at just the right time.
The dynasty isn’t dead-not yet. But as Sophie Cunningham pointed out, keeping a championship core together is one of the hardest things to do in sports. And right now, the Chiefs are learning that lesson the hard way.