Kansas City’s Mahomes-first formula is cracking, and the Chiefs can’t pretend this one-man offense is sustainable in 2026.QQ

Patrick Mahomes has been the only thing holding the Kansas City Chiefs together, and Sunday’s loss without him exposed the full extent of the team’s foundational failures.

Sunday’s loss to a previously 2–12 Tennessee Titans team makes one thing abundantly clear: Patrick Mahomes has been the glue holding it all together. Without him on Sunday, this team looked hapless and much like the squad Andy Reid inherited when he arrived in Kansas City in 2013. Admittedly, the Chiefs were missing a half-dozen notable players, but they simply didn’t look like an NFL team. They punted on their first three possessions and followed that up with a ridiculous safety that gave the Titans their first lead of the day.

Therein lies the problem with the present-day organization: no child should have to hold the house together on his own. That’s the responsibility of ostensibly responsible “parents.” Much of this rests upon the failings of head coach Andy Reid’s predictable and stale offense, and the talent-poor roster general manager Brett Veach has fielded in 2025. The fate of this team has relied far too heavily upon Mahomes’ creativity. That eventually wears too thin to be constructive. The formula fades, and another sequel becomes untenable.

The rest of the AFC has caught up to Kansas City’s tricks—so much so that they’re hip to the same tired script. That’s what’s led to defenders sitting on Rashee Rice’s routes and blowing him up several times in the last few weeks. Kansas City’s drive charts are abysmal because teams know what’s coming. This house once carried real danger, the kind that kept opponents guessing. Everyone knows the layout now, and the imagination that once defined the place is gone.

The Mahomes-less collapse against Tennessee shows how urgent real structural change has become for the Chiefs

The good news is that the way forward doesn’t require any magic. The next era of Chiefs football demands structure, intentionality, and a willingness to evolve. It’s been reported that Reid won’t retire after the 2025 season. Having leadership continuity at certain levels is appropriate, though the need for new voices is undeniable. Big Red’s unit isn’t the only cog in the wheel, but establishing a new offensive identity is essential to this franchise’s next iteration. He’s recently acknowledged that some retooling is necessary; the hope is that he follows through as the offseason approaches.

That’s a multivariate equation for Reid, who’ll need the right mix of new coaching talent and real adjustments to his offensive scheme. For Brett Veach, the mandate is different: an infusion of talent and stronger overall roster construction. That process starts with determining which pending free agents will return to Kansas City. It’s a task that could’ve been made a bit simpler with additional snaps for young players on Sunday, but I digress.

At the center of all this is Mahomes, who’s spent years masking this franchise’s flaws. For a while, that approach worked in their favor, but it’s clear the strategy has run its course. The status quo is unsustainable, and it’s time to acknowledge that even generational talent needs support. This organization can’t afford to waste any more of Pat’s prime.

The fixes aren’t complicated, but they require the intention I alluded to earlier. The Chiefs have to rebuild this offense, not just with spacing and route concepts but with receiving talent that can separate on its own. For years, Reid has had to scheme receivers open to sustain a consistent passing game. The results are impossible to argue with, but Kansas City needs a new reality where Mahomes isn’t forced to improvise his way out of every corner. They could also stand a more explosive ground game that creates real offensive balance. Fewer tricks, more supervision.

Diminishing returns are the cost of doing business in the NFL. Evolution isn’t optional for this franchise; it’s the only way forward. Contrary to what his critics insist, there’s still plenty of juice left in Mahomes, even with a recovery timeline that could stretch into the 2026 regular season. But if the Chiefs want to tap back into the championship DNA of years past, there’s real work to be done in the front office and in the meeting rooms. Reinforce the structure around Mahomes, and stop forcing him to rely on a bag of tricks just to survive a more competitive AFC field.