The Kansas City Chiefs walked out of São Paulo with more than just a 27-21 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. They walked into a pile of questions about their dynasty.

Travis Kelce getting slapped by Teair Tart and rookie Xavier Worthy exiting early with a shoulder injury set the tone for a chaotic night. The Chargers even snapped their streak of 17 straight one-score wins in the process. But beyond the headline-grabbing drama, what stood out was how uninspired Kansas City looked in every phase.

Defensively, Steve Spagnuolo’s unit didn’t deliver. The pass rush failed to rattle Justin Herbert consistently, and coverage lapses let 33-year-old Keenan Allen torch them for 12 catches on 17 targets. But the defense wasn’t the only culprit.

Andy Reid’s offense lacked rhythm, balance, and explosiveness. Patrick Mahomes was forced into improvisation mode far too often, a familiar story that has begun to feel like a pattern rather than an anomaly. That combination of an underwhelming pass rush and an offense stuck in neutral fuels the concern that Kansas City might be slipping at the wrong time.

Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky put it bluntly on Get Up:

“If it doesn’t get better, the Super Bowl is a zero percent chance. The offense has to find ways to be more explosive. This is a two-year thing right now. Listen, if they don’t find ways to be more consistently explosive in this era, you cannot get back to the Super Bowl.”

Orlovsky’s comments landed hard because the numbers backed them up. Kansas City had only three passing plays of 20-plus yards against the Chargers and a single run longer than 10 yards, a 15-yard Mahomes scramble.

The receiving corps didn’t do Mahomes many favors either. Kelce only caught 2 catches for 47 yards, while Worthy’s injury and Rashee Rice’s suspension leave the rotation dangerously thin. Hollywood Brown was the lone bright spot with 10 receptions for 99 yards. But one man can’t carry an entire passing attack.

The Chiefs converted just five of 14 third downs and failed on their first seven attempts, a stat that underscores how disjointed the offense looked. Without a consistent run game to ease the burden, Mahomes was left shouldering the load without the firepower he’s accustomed to.

Still, ruling out Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes would be foolish. Reid has made a career out of in-season adjustments, and Pat’s track record in high-pressure situations is unmatched. But the margin for error is shrinking. So, the Week 2 showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles will paint a better picture. Or maybe an early referendum… If the O-line woes and lack of explosiveness linger, Orlovsky’s blunt warning may prove prophetic.

The offensive flaws are not new for the Chiefs 

The Chiefs have obviously made it to 5 of the last 6 Super Bowls. However, carrying the issues of the O-line from the last two seasons into the 2025 NFL is a significant concern. The Chiefs are without Rashee Rice for six weeks as he serves an NFL-mandated suspension. And when Xavier Worthy stepped out of the field due to injury. It looked like a mirror image of the last couple of seasons. There are issues with the wide receivers of the team. 

Jawaan Taylor’s penalties are another O-line issue still not resolved. He finished at the top for Chiefs in penalties by racking up 16 in 2024 and 20 in 2023. And now in Week 1, he has continued on the same path and racked up 4 penalties. But this is not it, as even Patrick Mahomes witnessed a decline in the last two seasons. 

During 2018-2022, Mahomes had a passing average of 8.1 yards per attempt. During that time, he threw for 192 TDs and only 48 INTs. Compare that in the last two season? 6.9 yards per attempt when targeted more than zero times. KC’s #15 threw for 53 TDs and 25 INTs. That ratio has been eye-catching. 

The Chiefs are now set against the Eagles. Mahomes has kept the receipts from SB LIX as he said: “They played hard and did a great job of disrupting my timing. I have to learn from that, find ways to get the ball out of my hand.” And if they want to make their road to the Super Bowl easy, they will have to get rid of the long, unresolved issues.