The Kansas City Chiefs are having a disappointing season by their standards. After losing to the Denver Broncos on Sunday, the Chiefs fell to 5-5 and watched the division title slip further out of reach. The Chiefs have been the gold standard in the AFC West, winning the division each of the last nine seasons.
However, Denver has a 3.5-game lead over the Chiefs at this point in the season, and it looks like we will see a changing of the guard. Everyone is accustomed to seeing the Chiefs compete for the Super Bowl, but this season, they will likely have a tough time making the playoffs.
Former NFL Player Takes Shot at the Chiefs
The Chiefs have been a team that others feared in previous seasons, but that no longer seems to be the case this year. According to former NFL player Damien Woody, “the aura is gone in Kansas City.”
ESPN’s “Get Up” podcast’s official X account posted a video with the caption, “.@damienwoody says “the aura is gone in Kansas City 👀””. In the video, Woody explains why he believes his feelings are legitimate.
He explained, “This was a team which was kinda like New England from the past where the battle was mental going against that team. But now I think the team going into these games is like, ‘The hell with Kansas City.’ Last year they won a bunch of last score games on their way to the Super Bowl only to be shellacked by the Philladelphia Eagles.”
.@damienwoody says “the aura is gone in Kansas City” 👀 pic.twitter.com/hVDHYyzsvm
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) November 17, 2025
Woody then went on to give the Chiefs’ 2025 season summary, saying, “Guess what? This year they are 0 for 5 in one score games. They are not able to finish these type of games. I don’t think the teams are scared of the Chiefs anymore.”
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Last season, the Chiefs were often the team to beat in close games. No matter how they played, they would ultimately find a way to win. Yet, that script has flipped this season. The Chiefs are 0-5 in one-score games this season, which is why they currently have a .500 record.
One of the Chiefs’ most significant problems is their lack of explosive plays on offense. According to Marcus Mosher, the Chiefs have taken a step back offensively since the 2023 season. They are only averaging 7.0 yards per attempt since 2023.
Patrick Mahomes from 2018-2022:
8.1 YPA. 106 passer rating.
Patrick Mahomes from 2023-2025:
7.0 YPA. 93.7 passer rating.
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) November 17, 2025
Despite having explosive playmakers like Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy, the Chiefs cannot seem to click as an offense. Also, their run game is not good, which adds more pressure to Mahomes and the passing offense.
The issues the Chiefs are facing this season may be too much to correct midseason. While they are ranked 5th with an impact score of 86.0 on PFSN’s Offense Impact metric, it looks unlikely that there would be a bounce-back. They may have to take a serious look at how they operate as an offense this offseason.
Playoffs Slowly Slipping Away
At 5-5, the Chiefs will likely have to make the playoffs as a Wild Card team. However, the AFC has a few teams likely vying for one of the three Wild Card spots.
The Chiefs are one game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars for the final spot, but they lost the tiebreaker to the Jaguars earlier in the season, which could come into play if they have the same record.
Things do not get easier for the Chiefs when they host the 8-2 Indianapolis Colts next Sunday. They will have to beat some strong teams down the stretch if they want to make the postseason. With Mahomes at quarterback, it is hard to count the Chiefs out, but they need to make vast improvements soon.
