You can argue that in 2025, the Kansas City Chiefs have struggled to maintain their own high standards in all three phases of the game. But the offense has stood out. While it was expected to be more explosive
this season, it has sometimes struggled to score — particularly when playing from behind against good teams.
Kansas City is now 0-5 in one-score games — and these offensive problems have contributed to most of them. This was especially true in Week 9’s 28-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills and Sunday’s 22-19 defeat at the hands of the Denver Broncos.
What has led to the offense’s inability to perform when the chips are down?
“I think for us, No. 1, it’s the mindset,” offensive coordinator Matt Nagy told the media on Thursday. “You have to be able to finish — and that’s what we talked about at the beginning of the week when we went back and reviewed the tape.”
The offensive staff also did some self-evaluation during the bye week.
“There’s a few things internally that schematically, we talked through as an offense,” said Nagy. “What [do] we want to do? It’s creating that ownership from the coach’s side of, ‘OK, what plays are we putting in? What are we running?’
“And then when the play is called, there’s a lot that goes into that moment — making sure we have it in the right direction or [we’re] running the right route… There’s so many things that go into it, and I think in that moment when you know you’ve got to finish the game in four minutes — whether it’s tied or whether you’re winning — finishing with the ball in your hands is our job no matter how you do it.
“We didn’t do it — plain and simple — and that’s been our focus. OK, how are we going to get in that situation again and win the game? Stating the obvious: it hasn’t been done much this year, with the 0-5 number that’s out there. So we take that seriously. We understand that, and we all want to make sure that we’re locking in on our jobs.”
One miscue that hurt the Chiefs’ offense early in the game was quarterback Patrick Mahomes missing on a couple of deep shots on the first drive, overthrowing two wide receivers on plays that should have been big gains for Kansas City.
“We’ve got to hit on those when we throw them,” declared Nagy. “We’ve got to make them connect.
“I know we’ve talked about giving a guy an opportunity. Sometimes, we’ll use the phrase, ‘If he’s covered, he’s uncovered.’ So sometimes, [it’s about] being able to give [the receiver] a chance to catch the ball.
“That’s what Pat was upset about with himself: making sure he gives the guy a chance. On both of those — the overthrows — you just don’t have a chance.
“[I] love the mentality of what he did. You know, there’s two other throws in that game where we went downtown, and we had a 47-yard defensive pass interference and a 41-yarder. That’s hidden yardage that you’ve got to keep going — but especially early in the game, you’ve got to connect on these.”
Still, making a good throw and giving your guy a shot to make a play on the ball doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. In fact, Nagy says he tells Mahomes he doesn’t have to be perfect.
“He’s one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the history of this game,” noted Nagy. “He’s super accurate. He can make throws that [other] people can’t make. When you’re throwing a ‘post alert’ over the top — which both of those basically were — sometimes [you] just put it in the vicinity and let your guy go make a play. And trust me: right after that series — when we went four-and-out and punted the ball — no one was more pissed off at himself than Pat on that sideline.”
But there’s been more wrong with the offense than Mahomes missing some deep balls. Over the last two weeks, Kansas City’s offensive line has struggled to contain opposing pass rushers and blitzers — especially in key situations. One of those was on a third-and-10 late in Sunday’s fourth quarter. The Broncos’ defensive coordinator Vance Joseph disguised a blitz that Mahomes never saw coming — and it resulted in a sack that ended the Chiefs’ last possession.
“They did a good job with what they pressured,” admitted Nagy. “That was good. They got us on that one, and it’s a credit to them.”
Knowing your problems is one thing. Knowing the solutions is another. Executing those solutions — especially in the final weeks of the season, with everything on the line — is the hardest thing of all.
We’re about what this team is made of.
