With a potential big day on Monday that could signal a new home for the Kansas City Chiefs, the Chiefs laid another egg on the field this time in Tennessee against the Titans. In losing another quarterback to an ACL injury, the offense sputtered, and the coaching staff continued a trend that could lead to massive changes.
The Kansas City Chiefs organization is stuck in a loop. During this current losing streak, the coaching staff went through the motions once again. With no hope of the postseason, Andy Reid instructed his staff to play his starters rather than turn the ball over to young draft picks and second-year players who needed valuable game time.
I think Sunday’s 26-9 loss to the Titans was Chris Oladokun’s NFL debut after Gardner Minshew left the game with a torn ACL. He’s the second quarterback to go down, with Patrick Mahomes being the first.
The Titans showed no fear against the Chiefs, and despite making a run for the first pick in the 2026 draft, beating Kansas City and sending a message to their new head coach could pay huge dividends in kick-starting their rebuild.
Kansas City is facing another kind of rebuild that should include a massive overhaul of its coaching staff and several high-priced, underachieving players, giving General Manager Brett Veach the ability to build a new football team in his image.
Since Mahomes arrived, the Chiefs have been a force. Now they’ve lost their Lion status and face uncertain times.
With Mahomes having knee surgery this week, he’s going to do whatever it takes to be ready for opening day. Andy Reid, if he stays as the team’s head coach, will have to jettison much of his staff and ultimately build a new offense with a young, dynamic coach who could eventually become his predecessor.
It’s clear the Chiefs need a new direction, and I doubt Reid can rebuild this team without giving up significant control, as his coaching career is in its final stretch. What we’ve learned is that Mahomes is the Chiefs.
Sure, they have some great players, but I could argue this team might have the first pick in the draft if Mahomes hadn’t been their quarterback. There are SO many things wrong with this team that we can excuse their 2025 season due to injuries, but this team is tired, and its age is showing.
If I were Mahomes, I’d demand the same effort in this rebuild that sets aside ego and sentimentality toward coaches or players loyal to the program. With Travis Kelce likely retiring and some key veterans likely to be cut or traded, there’s no new message or direction from the General Manager to draft the kind of players the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos have the last two years.
Kansas City can’t rely on Mahomes to do it all, and this season proves it. The Chiefs were flat since the opening week, and there was never a push to change. Instead, all we heard were excuses from the staff and accountability from Mahomes.
This team has taken such advantage of Mahomes that it’s high time they truly valued his sacrifices.
The AFC has lapped the Chiefs, and it’ll take more than Mahomes to be ready on opening day. If the team doesn’t match their leader, we could see a very similar 2026. In fact, I can make the excuse that next year’s third-place schedule is just as challenging as the one that has yielded only six wins to date.
