Chiefs Locker Room Has 7 Days To Answer Patrick Mahomes’ Challenge As Andy Reid Addresses Chargers

The clock is ticking in Kansas City. Seven days from now, the Chiefs will be in Brazil for an AFC West opener against Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers—a defense that gave up the fewest points in the NFL last season with just 301. For Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, the countdown is brutal: to prepare against the one AFC West rival that hasn’t tasted victory over them since 2021. And the KC’s #15 didn’t sugarcoat what’s coming.

“They’ve got depth at edge, d-tackle… it’ll be a test for the guys. Excited for the challenge and for the guys to get to go out there and showcase who they are.” Translation? The locker room has one week to prove they’re ready to showcase exactly that. Kansas City’s unofficial depth chart dropped this week, locking in Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Chris Jones at their usual posts.

But with Joey Bosa gone and Khalil Mack anchoring Harbaugh’s new-look unit, the test is real. Mack re-signed because, in his words, “Why not here? Got tremendous leadership here.” That leadership has already shown grit. A preseason defense that looked dialed. And it should be if they wanna face the KC and Pat on a revenge tour.

The Chiefs went 15-2 last season, but here’s the catch—their point differential was only +59. That’s the kind of number you expect from a 10-win team, not a reigning powerhouse. They survived on Mahomes’ brilliance and Andy Reid’s playbook magic. But if Kansas City’s ground game bottoms out again, Mahomes might not be able to carry the weight of the franchise. As if that wasn’t enough, here comes the gut punch: Rashee Rice is gone until Week 7.

The NFL handed down a six-game suspension after his guilty plea in last year’s Dallas car crash. That takes him off the board for six brutal matchups—Chargers, Eagles, Giants on Sunday night, Ravens, Jaguars on Monday night, and the Lions on Sunday night. Three prime-time spotlights, no stabilizing wideout. For a group already walking the tightrope, that’s a nasty blow.

Kansas City did survive last year’s Super Bowl push without him after his knee blowout, but the offense wasn’t the same. This year, the margin is even thinner. Travis Kelce is 35. Hollywood Brown is already a question mark. Xavier Worthy is still learning how to swim in the deep end. And Andy Reid? He’s staring at a September storm with one of the weakest supporting casts.

Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid face their toughest AFC West test yet

A a result of weaker weapons and even weaker options, here comes Patrick Mahomes’ kryptonite: the clean pocket. Nobody’s predicting his downfall. He could retire today and walk into Canton. But the past two years haven’t matched his first five, when his 95.9 PFF overall grade led the NFL and he shredded both clean looks (97.9 grade) and pressure (78.1). Since then, the cracks show: his clean-pocket grade sits just 10th at 93.1. That’s nitpicking, sure, but it’s where Mahomes needs to level back up.

Plus, the Chiefs don’t ease into 2025 either, opening on the road against the Chargers, the same script from his rookie debut. Andy Reid has already sounded the alarm: “They’re a zone team, but the zones are tight. . . You can see why they were ranked so high. . . They’ve got good speed on the defense…” Translation? The Bolts’ defense is a vault. The question is whether Mahomes still has the key.

Then there’s the rookie everyone’s whispering about—Josh Simmons. Forget easing into the NFL. His opponent is Khalil Mack, a nine-time Pro Bowler with 107.5 career sacks and a reputation for swallowing left tackles whole. Mack is 34, but don’t confuse age with rust. He’s bagged nine career sacks against Kansas City alone. Imagine stepping onto the field for your first snap and staring across at a future Hall of Famer who’s been terrorizing quarterbacks since you were in middle school.

Yet, history leans in favor of the red and gold. Reid has beaten the Chargers seven straight times, and that’s not even his best streak. The same coach who swept in his first season turned around and stacked nine wins in a row. That’s Andy Reid’s essence: a craftsman who doesn’t just call plays, he builds dynasties. Over 100 wins with two franchises, three Lombardis in the last five years, and now year 13 at the helm in Kansas City. Mahomes is the engine, but Reid is the man who turned the Chiefs into a global football empire. But now the question is if they can keep rewriting history against a defense built to break it.