Why Chiefs Could Use New Offensive Transmission

Improving throughout season was goal, but not reality

The Chiefs’ yards per play plummeted. They ranked ninth in 2023, 22nd in 2024 and 23rd this past season. All the blame doesn’t fall on Nagy’s shoulders, but now that his contract has expired and he’s exploring new opportunities, the Chiefs could certainly use a fresh coat of paint and maybe even a new transmission.

“I would tell you,” Andy Reid said Monday afternoon, “if you're doing a wholesale change, I'd probably tell you that the offseason is better than during the season. But if you're just trying to better yourself, you should be doing that throughout.”

The Chiefs didn’t improve statistically throughout any of the prior three years. Even in 2023, the last year they won the Super Bowl, they averaged 23.1 points per game over their initial nine contests, then dropped to 20.4 over their final eight.

In 2024, they averaged 24.3 points over their first nine games and just 20.8 over the final eight.

But in 2025, the Chiefs’ offense fell off a cliff in the second half of the season. After averaging 26.1 points over its first nine games, Kansas City collapsed with just 15.9 over the last eight.

The Chiefs managed just 127 points over that eight-game slide (going 1-7 in that stretch) to rank 30th in the NFL. Only the Jets (105) and Raiders (102) scored fewer points in the second half of the year.

In evaluating his offense, Reid this week is breaking out his forensics unit – reconstructing the crime in order to prevent it from happening again.

“I think putting people in the right position,” he said Monday, “and making sure we stay relatively healthy there, I think is important.

“Then, don't take things away from yourself. So, whether it's a playcall that you give a guy, what can you do put him in a better position. Or, second, are you taking something away from yourself with a turnover or penalty?”

Penalties were especially punitive

Penalties ravaged the Chiefs. On offense alone, officials walked off 455 penalty yards against Kansas City, tied for fourth most in the league. The Chiefs’ 59 offensive flags were tied for ninth most in the NFL.

Last year, the Chiefs were tied for the fifth fewest offensive flags in the league. Injuries also crippled Kansas City in the back half of the year. After a 28-7 win over Washington in Week 9, the Chiefs were in great shape offensively.

“It's all of us looking at it,” Reid added, “but you're still looking at an offense that was one of the top 10 offenses in the league, if you take everything into consideration there. So, you're not that far off. You got to get a couple things bouncing your way and make sure you take care of that.”