The Chiefs Biggest Strengths, Weaknesses Heading into 2025 Season

The Kansas City Chiefs still rank near the top of the National Football League by nearly every metric. After a busy offseason, Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus analyzed the state of the league.

The Chiefs finished 2024 with the second-highest-graded defense and placed in the top 10 for PFF run-defense grade, PFF pass-rush grade, and PFF coverage grade. The only other team to accomplish that feat was the Eagles, who vanquished Kansas City in Super Bowl 59," Chadwick and Wasserman said.

Chadwick and Wasserman noted that the Chiefs' biggest weakness in 2024 was their supporting cast for Patrick Mahomes. That appears to be the case again this upcoming season.

"Mahomes ranked just eighth among quarterbacks in PFF overall grade (83.9) last season, making it just the second time in his seven years as a starter that he graded below 90.0 or was outside the top five in grading. Much of that had to do with the Chiefs' relatively average offensive environment. Kansas City placed just 17th in PFF pass-blocking grade, 15th in PFF receiving grade, and 15th in PFF rushing grade in 2024," Chadwick and Wasserman said.

The Chiefs added several players to their offense this offseason, such as Brashard Smith. However, while talented, the rookie could use some work. Kyle Crabbs of the 33rd Team explained how Smith can improve.

The challenge with Smith is what you do with him as he develops — his position is often loaded with options, so he will need to find added value to justify an active roster spot and dress on game days. Smith’s special teams prowess should help. He’s an accomplished returner who should be given an opportunity to win a returning job for a team. If he can do that, he can dress and perhaps work his way into a rotational role," Crabbs said.

"The passing game profile is promising, thanks to his receiving background, but his work in pass protection is going to need massive investment and improvement. He doesn’t take aggressive angles to close down angles on free runners, and he lacks the blocking posture, hand strike, or anchor to consistently hold his gap. More often than not, he’ll throw a shoulder pad into a defender, uncovering in a gap, or try to cut low, even when he’d be better served to stick his face in and simply take the block head-on.  More often than not, he’ll throw a shoulder pad into a defender, uncovering in a gap, or try to cut low, even when he’d be better served to stick his face in and simply take the block head-on."

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