WSJ: League caught up to Chiefs

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When Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes dropped back to pass in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles, it was no surprise which of his targets he zeroed in on.

Over and over during the team’s reign atop the NFL, teams that dreamed of beating the Chiefs had their hopes dashed by Mahomes finding Travis Kelce streaking over the middle of the field and into the end zone.

Only this time, the play served as a perfect encapsulation of why Mahomes, Kelce and the Chiefs are no longer the indomitable juggernaut they once were.

Trailing 13-10, Mahomes slung the ball to Kelce near the goal line. But instead of a touchdown, the pass ricocheted off the 35-year-old tight end and into the arms of Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba. The interception led to what proved to be the deciding touchdown in Philadelphia’s 20-17 victory.

“Obviously, this isn’t how we wanted to start,” Mahomes said.

The loss dropped Kansas City to 0-2—a first in the Mahomes era—and what’s most troubling for the franchise is that the slow start reflects a reality that has been coming into focus since the start of last season:

The Chiefs are no longer football’s singularly dominant force.

Ever since Mahomes became the team’s starter in 2018, the Chiefs have inhabited a stratosphere all of their own. The run has produced three Super Bowl victories and an astonishing seven consecutive conference championship games. Nearly every season, the road to a title went through Kansas City.

But what the last year has demonstrated is that the once cavernous gap between the Chiefs and everyone else has all but vanished. Mahomes has been left to work with a depleted arsenal of weapons, and what had been the NFL’s most electric offense is now shockingly ordinary.

The cracks began to appear last season, but an astonishing collection of improbable victories helped cover them up. With a 15-2 record, the Chiefs still finished as the No. 1 seed in the AFC even though 12 of those wins were within one score and could have swung the other way.

But there was no hiding their shortcomings once they ran into the Eagles in the Super Bowl with a three-peat on the line.

Kansas City’s lack of playmakers was painfully obvious when Mahomes finished the first half with just 33 passing yards. Even more tellingly, Kelce didn’t record his first catch until the Chiefs were already behind by 27 points. The 40-22 drubbing felt even worse than the final score.

To start this season, Kansas City’s best hopes of restoring that offensive mojo were quickly dashed. In late August, receiver Rashee Rice, who was in the midst of a breakout last year before injuring his knee, was suspended for six games. And on the opening drive of the team’s Week One loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, receiver Xavier Worthy, a first-round pick in 2024, injured his shoulder.

All of it has again left Mahomes with limited options. When he finally connected on a long touchdown pass Sunday, the receiver was a journeyman named Tyquan Thornton, who had a grand total of four catches last season with the New England Patriots. Kelce led the team with 61 receiving yards but failed to haul in that critical pass. After looking like a shell of his former self last year, nobody would be surprised if this is the final season of his Hall of Fame career.

At the same time, it’s never been clearer just how stiff Kansas City’s competition has become.

The Buffalo Bills, led by last year’s MVP in quarterback Josh Allen, have scored 71 points through two weeks. Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens have posted 81, including 40 in their opening loss to Buffalo. Both teams score with ease the way the Chiefs used to do.

Even within Kansas City’s own division, it’s grown more difficult. The Chargers and Denver Broncos both made the playoffs last season and are trending upward with talented young quarterbacks. ...

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