After Super Bowl blowout, Chiefs must retool flawed roster

Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

After Super Bowl LIX blowout, Chiefs must retool their flawed roster

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Feb 10, 2025 1:30 PM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs' dynasty doesn't seem like it's over, but it could be cracking.

In Super Bowl LIX, the Philadelphia Eagles crushed the Chiefs, 40-22. The blowout showcased K.C.'s roster flaws, which should've been addressed before Sunday night in New Orleans.

"And if there's one thing the franchise learned from the loss, it's that the cracks in the foundation existed long before Sunday night," wrote Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson in a piece published Monday. "Four years removed from a similar unraveling in 2021, the organization must find the resolve to attack the fissures with new purpose, starting with an offensive line that collapsed on itself against the Eagles."

Against the Eagles, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was sacked six times despite Philadelphia using zero blitzes, per Pro Football Focus.

Eagles pass rush in the Super Bowl

- ZERO blitzes
- 26 pressures
- 6 sacks
- 42.9% pressure percentage pic.twitter.com/5pKQkKdSvj
— PFF (@PFF) February 10, 2025

The awful performance wasn't an outlier. The Chiefs struggled to protect Mahomes throughout the 2024 season. According to PFF, he was pressured on 212 dropbacks in 16 regular-season starts, the sixth most in the NFL.

The Chiefs moved guard Joe Thuney to tackle, but that's probably not a viable solution. K.C. should select an offensive tackle in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, perhaps Josh Simmons of Ohio State or Armand Membou of Missouri.

The Chiefs should also consider giving Mahomes more weapons. Outside of rookie WR Xavier Worthy — who caught eight passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns — K.C.'s pass-catchers didn't produce explosive plays against Philadelphia. Worthy was the only Chiefs pass-catcher who averaged more than 10 yards per reception.

Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce finished with four receptions for 39 yards, his second-lowest mark of the 2024 postseason. The future Hall of Famer turns 36 on Oct. 5, so he could continue to slow in 2025.

After winning three Super Bowls in their first four seasons with Tom Brady as their starting quarterback, the New England Patriots didn't hoist another Lombardi Trophy until the 2014 season. The Chiefs better get busy this offseason. Otherwise, they could experience a similar title drought.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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