Chiefs' 'Margin For Error' In AFC West Gone In 2025

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Adam Schultz | Last updated Jul 13, 2025 9:42 PM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs are going to have to prove a lot of people wrong in 2025, with the defending AFC champs predicted to finally see their dominance come to an end.

Well, that's the thought anyway.

With the Super Bowl loss burned into the minds of fans, the Chiefs are being tipped to finally fall off that proverbial cliff. Plus, their AFC West dominance is expected to end, too, after winning the division for the past nine years.

For former NFL player-turned-analyst Damien Woody, the Chiefs' margin for error in the division is now small, given how improved the rest of the teams in the AFC West are expected to be in 2025.

“I think this is the first time in the Andy Reid/Patrick Mahomes era where the division is going to be this tight, this good,” Woody said on ESPN's First Take. “So I think the margin for error is going to be a lot tighter for the Kansas City Chiefs.”

Mahomes has an all-time record of 35-5 against the AFC West, so he has had his way with the division, but with the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, and Las Vegas Raiders all improving this offseason, the road to a 10th consecutive title isn't smooth sailing.

However, that doesn't mean Kansas City can't continue its dominance. Let's not forget that Rashee Rice and Marquise Brown should be available, provided the injury bug stays away, so Mahomes will have his two top weapons playing together for the first time.

Yes, things will be tighter in the division, but until we actually see the Chiefs be dethroned in the division, it's as you were for the defending AFC champs.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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