National NFL media members share ideas on how to fix Chiefs’ problems for 2026
The Chiefs face a must-win situation this Sunday when the Chargers visit GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
You’ve heard that before, right?
They had a must-win game on Thanksgiving, but lost to the Cowboys. Ditto for Sunday’s game against the Texans. Going in, fans knew a win would put the Chiefs in good position to make the playoffs, but a defeat would be disastrous.
The Chiefs lost 20-10 Sunday night and quarterback Patrick Mahomes had a dreadful night.
Epitaphs are being written on social media for the Chiefs, who have appeared in the Super Bowl in five of the last six seasons.
Is it the end of the Chiefs dynasty or can they fix their problems? A number of national NFL observers weighed in. Here is what is being said about the Chiefs:
National media buzz about the Chiefs
ESPN’s Ben Solak wrote a story that included a lengthy look at how to fix the Chiefs’ offense.
“The mighty truly have fallen,” Solak wrote. “But it’s important to keep the Chiefs’ brokenness in perspective. ‘The Chiefs’ reign is over!’ No, it is not. ‘This is the beginning of the end!’ Not correct. ‘Mahomes is and always was overrated!’ Codswallop.”
Solak took a deeper look at the Chiefs’ skill position players and noted they have struggled. That is, the running backs and wide receivers.
“The Chiefs’ offense is a mess,” Solak wrote. “It needs revitalizing, both on the depth chart and on the chalkboard. But because they employ Mahomes, they are on the cusp of greatness at any moment. One or two shrewd tweaks and this offense is the best in football in 2026. That’s the margin afforded to the team with the best quarterback of his era.
“So: ‘The Chiefs’ reign is over!’ No, it is not. ‘This is the beginning of the end!’ Not correct. ‘Mahomes is and always was overrated!’ Balderdash. This will get fixed this offseason, and the Chiefs will be chugging along in 2026, same as always.”
CBS Sports analyst Matt Ryan, the former Falcons quarterback, was asked how he’d address the Chiefs’ problems in an interview with Athlon Sports.
“I think it starts up front,” Ryan said. “Playing consistently up front so that they can run the football a little bit more efficiently. I think that’s one of the things throughout the season, when they have run it well, they’ve had success. When they haven’t, it’s been tough. So to me, you start inside out and front to back.
“Starting with that inside, I think, you know, they’re trying to retool. And I know they have. They have tried it. They’ve had injuries there. They’ve had all kinds of different things that have led to that. But then I think it’s a little bit more rhythm and timing in the passing game. That’s one of the things I see. So much of it is off-schedule, and it’s hard. It’s just… when it’s good, it’s really good. But it’s hard to be consistent that way.”
ESPN’s Mina Kimes said if she was given the chance to fix the Chiefs’ woes, she’d focus on personnel and scheme.
The Guardian’s Oliver Connolly wrote a story with the headline, “The once formidable Kansas City Chiefs look old, tired and out of ideas.”
“The decline didn’t happen overnight. Behind Reid and Mahomes, the Chiefs have reached seven straight AFC Championship Games, winning three Super Bowls,” he wrote. “Even at their weakest, they’ve found a way. But this season, 20 points, once a comical attempt at upsetting the Chiefs, has become the threshold that teams need merely to compete. The offense is stagnant. The defense is middling, even if it caused the Texans’ mediocre offensive line plenty of problems on Sunday. The long postseason runs, the accumulated hits, the personnel misfires, they’ve all taken their toll. Even dependable veterans reflect the problem. The 36-year-old Travis Kelce had been their most reliable third-down target until Sunday night. Kareem Hunt, 30, is their most effective running back. Those are not markers of a healthy roster. ...
“What they need now is even more drastic – new weapons, ideas and energy. Mahomes has masked fundamental issues for years. But that is no longer enough. Stick a fork in this iteration of the Chiefs dynasty.”
CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan wrote a story with the headline, “The Chiefs’ dynasty is on life support and 2026 has the potential to be worse than 2025.”
“If/when the Chiefs are officially eliminated from playoff contention, it’ll mark a seismic moment for their dynasty and the NFL landscape as a whole,” Sullivan wrote. “And it could be just the top of the iceberg, as the road forward through 2026 could be even worse for Kansas City. ...
“(A)ddressing some key needs may not be the easiest endeavor, as they are currently projected to be $42.7 million over the salary cap, which is the second-lowest amount of space in the league (via Over the Cap). While they can do some cap gymnastics to under the threshold through restructures and releases, it’ll be a process. But let’s look at a couple of key areas they need to address this offseason to better gear up for this upcoming slog of 2026 opponents to avoid the disaster that has been the 2025 season.”
Sullivan suggested the Chiefs address their running game, find a replacement for Travis Kelce and update the secondary.
NBC Sports’ Chris Simms talked about the Chiefs receiving room and said the team is too reliant on Mahomes.
“They’re going to have to change the roster a little bit and change their team a little bit,” said Simms on “The Dan Patrick Show.”
Patrick asked him what the Chiefs should do.
“We know they’ve never been a great running team, but some of these receivers they have, right?” Simms said. “Xavier Worthy has not worked out to the capacity that they intended to as a first-round pick.
“Hollywood Brown, smaller receiver, hasn’t really been able to contribute that way. That’s why a lot of teams don’t like small receivers. You run 4.29 (40-yard dash), but as soon as I ... touch you, you run 4.75, and now you’re not that scary.”
This story was originally published December 10, 2025 at 10:00 AM with the headline "National NFL media members share ideas on how to fix Chiefs’ problems for 2026."
