How the Chiefs Will Be Able To Bounce Back

Jared Dublin writes for CBS Sports, and he wrote an article identifying five teams that can bounce back from down seasons in 2025. The Chiefs made the list, with the biggest reason being their horrendous record in one-score games.

"Kansas City had the point differential of a 9.5-win team, per Pro-Football-Reference, but won only six games thanks to its preposterous 1-9 record in one-score games. Considering they had previously won an NFL-record 17 consecutive one-score games heading into this year, it seems highly unlikely that they suddenly just forgot how to win close games", said Dublin.

Out of all those one-score losses, there were only two teams they lost to that didn't make the playoffs, and those were the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders. To add even more context, that loss to the Raiders came in Week 18 when the Chiefs had nothing to play for and sat the majority of their starters, if they weren't already injured.

If you watched the Chiefs last season, there were multiple games where Patrick Mahomes put them in a position to win, and their defense couldn't hold on and get a stop. The only exception to that is their game against the Houston Texans, but that defense was giving problems to everyone who played against them. That defense would've carried them to the Super Bowl if it weren't for the worst quarterback play in the playoffs.

The Chiefs will be able to bounce back because there's no way their defense continues to not show up in close games, in combination with their offense not doing enough to overcome that weakness. I also believe their injury luck should improve next season, and their rocky start could've improved if Xavier Worthy hadn't gotten injured a few snaps into the season.