A shocking Chiefs pattern is exposing why Andy Reid’s offense feels stuck in neutral this season.QQ
The Kansas City Chiefs are more reliant on quarterback Patrick Mahomes than ever before, as the team’s recent 5-5 start to the 2025 season and loss to the rival Denver Broncos illustrated how many cracks in the foundation No. 15 needs to paper over during this season.
Andy Reid and Brett Veach need to be held accountable for the team’s inability to run the football, as the best running back room these two could manage has produced Kareem Hunt as the most productive player. Kansas City’s running game in 2025 is now historic in how bland and ineffective it is.
According to explosive rush rate, which tracks rushes of 10 or more yards, the 2025 Chiefs have the worst mark this century. Of the three worst marks in the current century, all three of them belong to the Chiefs, with the 2024 team only marginally beating out a 2007 squad led by a broken-down Larry Johnson.
Keep in mind that these numbers are inflated by a quarterback in Mahomes who can occasionally break off on some bigger runs. The Chiefs have missed out on multiple opportunities to spend some premium resources on fixing this problem, but the front office has swung and missed multiple times.
Chiefs running back room historically poor at reeling off big plays
Hunt only has one rush longer than 11 yards this season, and he hasn’t topped 60 yards rushing in any game this campaign. His lack of breakaway speed is painfully obvious at this point, and Reid should be held to task for giving him such a big workload.
Even when healthy, Pacheco has taken enough steps back to warrant a reduction in playing time. Seventh-round pick Brashard Smith, who started his college journey as a wide receiver, is a developmental project who shouldn’t earn meaningful snaps in such a tight playoff race.
The Chiefs didn’t use a pick on a running back in what was regarded as a very good collection of backs in the 2025 NFL Draft until Smith in the seventh round. Breece Hall could have been had via trade, but Brett Veach was unable to get a deal done due to his third-round price tag.
Mahomes may not be at his best, but unless he can pull off some traditional No. 15 magic, the Chiefs’ offense is incredibly predictable and boring. The first priority for Veach when the offseason comes around is making sure this ground game performance never happens again.
