Where the Chiefs Find Themselves Heading Into 2026

Thomas Valentine writes for Pro Football Focus, and he placed each team on a final power rankings for this regular season. Heading into 2026, the Chiefs are ranked as the 25th team, with massive room for improvement pending Patrick Mahomes makes a smooth recovery.

"Even before the Chiefs lost Patrick Mahomes (76.0 grade; 14th) to a season-ending knee injury, their chances of making the playoffs were dwindling. The Chiefs weren’t a good team in 2025, and maybe needed to fail — outside of losing Mahomes — to give them the onus to make some changes", said Valentine.

Andy Reid coming back to coach them next season will be a good starting point, but the Chiefs have to masterfully navigate all of this change around them. Their roster's getting older, potentially both of their coordinators will be on new teams next season, and the league they used to dominate is changing.

If the Chiefs don't want to get left behind by the passage of time, they have to change how they approach their games. This season made it abundantly clear how much they rely on Mahomes to bail them out, and that cannot be the recipe for success moving forward.

"And changes there should be. The Chiefs need more talent on the offensive side of the ball and help on the edge. Beyond that is the glaringly obvious question: When will Mahomes return, and how will he look?".

Mahomes may never be the same player coming back from injury, and that's a reality the Chiefs have to prepare themselves for. Surrounding him with adequate protection up front and giving him a reliable rushing attack should make his return easier, but will that even be enough? The Chiefs' future depends on whether they can bounce back from this setback.