On December 14, 2025, the Los Angeles Chargers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 16-13, eliminating Kansas City from playoff contention for the first time since 2014. The season-ending loss for the Chiefs also turned into a devastating blow heading into next season, as quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a torn ACL late in the fourth quarter. The injury will sideline the former two-time MVP and three-time Super Bowl champion for at least 8-12 months, raising uncertainty over both the immediate and long-term future of the franchise. Now, fans around the league consider what could’ve been considered unthinkable just a few months ago, questioning if this is the end of a dynasty in Kansas City.
Over the last decade, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs have built one of the most dominant dynasties in modern NFL history, capturing three Super Bowl victories in a five-year span. Since 2018, the franchise has competed in seven consecutive AFC Championship games, winning five of them to reach the Super Bowl. The historic run, which will finally come to an end in 2025, places the Chiefs behind only the New England Patriots who set an all-time record with eight straight title game appearances from 2011-2018.
In 2024, the Kansas City Chiefs finished the season with a perfect 11-0 record in one-possession games. Despite their overwhelming success, many fans were skeptical whether the team’s ability to consistently survive close contests, considering that eleven of their fifteen wins came down to the wire, winning by 8 or fewer points each time. It was only a matter of time before the script flipped upside down in 2025, as the Chiefs went from dominating the late-game wins in previous years to now losing them. Kansas City started the year with a 5-5 record, including an 0-5 record in one-possession games. Kansas City, having lost its late-game advantage, was no longer able to rely on the safety net it had benefited from in past seasons.
Marked by injuries and struggles, the Kansas City Chiefs declined from inevitable to vulnerable in 2025. Fox Sports analyst and lifelong Chiefs fan Nick Wright argued that Kansas City missed the playoffs this year because “they deserved to,” claiming that the team couldn’t come up with the many little things that they always have in years past (Fox Sports). He explained that the shaky deep-ball accuracy from Mahomes, a struggling running game, an invisible pass rush, and weak special teams all stood out as negatives in a season to forget as a fan of the Chiefs. Wright also suggested the “more than extra season of football” that they have played over the last half-decade finally caught up to them, cutting the players short on fatigue and simply a year due for disappointment after such a strong series of seasons (Fox Sports).
Patrick Mahomes’ career has been nothing short of legendary: Two-time league MVP, three-time Super Bowl Champion, and three-time Super Bowl MVP. Over the course of his nine-year NFL career, he had never missed the playoffs, continually carrying the Chiefs deep into the postseason. Injuries, a struggling supporting cast, and uncharacteristic inefficiencies left Mahomes unable to lift his team above the hump and back to a 10+ win season, with hopes to make it to February. A disappointing, unprecedented season from Patrick Mahomes leaves the team outside of the playoff picture for the first time in his nine-year NFL career, serving as a reminder that even the best quarterbacks are susceptible to the adversity and pressures that any franchise or person may face.
Ramapo student Lukas Ostella shared his opposing opinion about the topic, “I think it’s far from over.” He continued to explain that “[Patrick] Mahomes is only 30 years old and coming off of a Super Bowl loss. The addition of new offensive weapons will make them better.” He also wanted to remind the readers that “they have a top 5 defensive coordinator and dominated defensively just last year.”
In 2020, legendary quarterback Tom Brady left the New England Patriots, sending the franchise into chaos. After that, they tore it all down to the core and began rebuilding with new, young faces to run the franchise. Today, the Patriots sit back within the top teams in the NFL just five years after Brady’s departure. Sports history teacher Mr. Nangle feels as though the current Chiefs dynasty has come to an end, stating that the team could still come back from this failed season by following, somewhat, in the Patriots’ footsteps: “they’re going to have to deconstruct this team and rebuild again as the Patriots did.” Of course, that doesn’t mean getting rid of future Hall of Fame quarterback Patrick Mahomes, but it will be interesting to see how they build around him in the future. Mr. Nangle also thinks “it’s a matter of how Mahomes can come back from his injury,” which is true. It is significant to the team that their face of the franchise can come back healthy and ready to run this team back to the promised land.
So, the question lies before us: Is the Kansas City Chiefs’ dynasty over?
