No, the Chiefs Dynasty Isn’t Dead-It’s Just at a Crossroads
Week 15 of the NFL season didn’t just hand the Kansas City Chiefs a loss-it delivered a gut punch. The kind that ends playoff hopes and sparks headlines that scream louder than the scoreboard.
One in particular stood out: *“The Chiefs dynasty is over.” *
Let’s pump the brakes.
This isn’t the first time a great team has hit a wall. And if you’ve been around long enough-watched dynasties rise, stumble, and rise again-you know better than to call time of death just because the season went sideways.
The Patriots, for example, didn’t fold after one down year or even after Tom Brady’s torn ACL. They regrouped, retooled, and added to their trophy case.
The Chiefs’ 2025 campaign officially unraveled with Sunday’s loss to the Chargers, a result that mathematically eliminated them from the postseason. But the writing had been on the wall since Thanksgiving, when they came up short in Dallas.
Even with winnable games left against Tennessee and Las Vegas, a .500 team in a crowded AFC was always going to need more than just favorable matchups. They needed momentum.
They needed health. They needed time-and they ran out of all three.
Now comes an offseason that will define the next chapter of this franchise. It starts with Patrick Mahomes, who’s expected to undergo surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee. That’s a massive moment-not just for next season, but for the long-term trajectory of a quarterback who turns 31 in September and already has five Super Bowl appearances and three rings to his name.
In today’s NFL, elite quarterbacks are stretching their primes well into their late 30s. If Mahomes can stay healthy, there’s no reason he can’t have another eight strong years ahead of him. But the Chiefs can’t count on Mahomes alone to carry the weight.
There are real issues on this roster. Let’s start with the receiving corps.
Since trading away Tyreek Hill in 2022, Kansas City hasn’t given Mahomes a true No. 1 wideout. That’s left 36-year-old Travis Kelce-still brilliant, but showing signs of wear-to shoulder far too much of the load.
He’s a future Hall of Famer, no question. But the team has leaned on him like it’s still 2020, and that’s not sustainable.
Defensively, the Chiefs have been solid, but not game-changing. They rank near the bottom of the league in takeaways-just 11 in 14 games.
That’s not going to cut it in a conference loaded with explosive offenses. If they want to return to the top, they’ll need to find difference-makers on that side of the ball, whether through the draft or free agency.
Still, history tells us that as long as Mahomes is under center and healthy, Kansas City is never truly out of the mix. We saw it just last year-flaws and all, they still found a way to win it all.
That’s the Mahomes effect. It’s not unlike what Tom Brady brought to New England: a level of consistency and competitiveness that made the Patriots a threat every single year, regardless of the supporting cast.
And remember, even Brady’s Patriots had their lulls. After winning three Super Bowls in four years, they didn’t win another for a decade.
They went 16-0 in 2007 and lost the big one on a helmet catch. They returned in 2011 and lost again.
Brady missed most of 2008 with an ACL tear. During that stretch, other teams rose-Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Green Bay-but the Patriots weren’t done.
They came back and won three more between 2014 and 2018.
So no, one tough year doesn’t end a dynasty. If anything, it tests it.
Kansas City’s own run began not with a win, but with a loss-an overtime heartbreaker to the Patriots in the 2018 AFC Championship Game. If not for the old OT rules, Mahomes and the Chiefs might’ve been in that Super Bowl instead of watching it.
Since then, they’ve made six straight AFC title games, reached four Super Bowls, and lifted the Lombardi three times. That’s not just a good run.
That’s historic.
They were on the doorstep of becoming just the second franchise to win four Super Bowls in a six-year span. That’s the kind of dominance we associate with the all-time greats. And while this season didn’t end with confetti, it doesn’t erase what came before-or what could still come next.
There are questions this offseason, no doubt. Mahomes’ recovery.
Kelce’s future. Andy Reid, who turns 68 soon, and whether he wants to keep grinding through the long NFL calendar.
But those are crossroads, not conclusions.
Calling the dynasty over may grab headlines, but history suggests otherwise. Dynasties don’t always end with a bang.
Sometimes they pause. They regroup.
They reload.
And if Mahomes is still the quarterback on the other side of this, you’d be wise not to bet against them.