Patrick Mahomes’ knee injury is just one of many challenges for the Kansas City Chiefs, who missed the playoffs for the first time since drafting the future Hall of Famer and are now confronting the reality of an aging core. Speaking publicly for the first time since going down in Week 15, Mahomes pointed straight at the root of the collapse.

“For myself, I look at some of the red-zone interceptions I threw in kind of bigger moments in the third and fourth quarters of games,” he said while speaking with KCSN’S Herbie Teope. “That’s stuff I hadn’t done in the past.”

According to him, it was never one moment or one game. It was a pileup. Those small errors kept stacking while snapping the momentum. Mahomes openly admitted the unit never found a steady rhythm, and he placed himself in the crosshairs, too.

“We’ve got to be better. That starts with me,” he added.

Mahomes’ wide receiver group has especially lagged in comparison to the league’s top teams. Before suffering the serious injury, the QB threw for 3,587 yards with 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, while also adding 422 rushing yards.

Those numbers may not be the best, considering that the Chiefs haven’t made major investments in the offense for years, which leaves Mahomes to carry much of the load himself.

As to what the Chiefs’ offense needs to work on this off-season, he said, “There are minor tweaks, but at the same time, you have to look at the entire picture and see if we can be better in every single area.”

In his view, fixing the offense starts with a deeper evaluation of the scheme. For this past season, he believes the offense showed flashes but never sustained its full execution consistently. The team leaned way too heavily on Patrick Mahomes to make plays under pressure.

That factor forced him to run more than he has in recent seasons. The Chiefs’ run game wasn’t very effective either. Kareem Hunt’s longest run all season was only 33 yards, while Isiah Pacheco’s longest in that category was just 16 yards. Mahomes once again finished with the third-most rushing attempts on the team, with only 22 yards.

That said, Kansas City will be making drastic changes to the coaching staff this offseason after finishing the season with a 6-11 record. Seeing the 2025 season turn out like this wasn’t easy.

Patrick Mahomes addresses the disappointment of missing the playoffs

Another big issue for the Chiefs was their passing game. Rashee Rice, Worthy, and Brown all crossed 50 yards in 2025, yet none touched 600. That gap matters at this level. Travis Kelce led the group with 851 yards, but even that raised concern in the City of Fountains. At 36, and with his 2026 status uncertain, he should not be the top option anymore. For an offense built to scare defenses, that balance felt off.

Then, a deeper look made things clearer. Only Rice and Nikko Remigio cracked two yards per route run, which is solid on paper. However, Remigio’s work came on just eight routes, so it barely counts. Meanwhile, Rice’s role stayed short and controlled, with an average target depth of only 4.9 yards. As a result, explosive plays stayed rare, and defenses stayed comfortable.

Meanwhile, the ground game failed to lift any pressure. Chiefs running backs averaged just 3.7 yards per carry, which says enough. Kareem Hunt still delivered in tight spaces, yet the long runs never came. Isiah Pacheco showed straight speed, but his longest run reached only 16 yards.

So, those offensive cracks finally caught up, and the Chiefs missed the playoffs. Now, Mahomes has been honest about where things stand emotionally. He said players and coaches “are motivated” to improve, while also admitting “it s–ks” watching January football from home. That tone matched what Chiefdom felt all season.

“The guys are motivated, coaches, players, we’re all motivated to be better this next year.  And as I said, it sucks watching these games. I want to be out there playing football,” Mahomes said. 

“So it’ll give us the motivation, hopefully, for us to come back stronger next year.”

So, in 2026, the direction is obvious. The standard at Arrowhead Stadium remains titles. If changes are needed to climb back to the top, this franchise is ready to make them.