Three 2024 playoff teams searching for answers after concerning Week 1 losses

A wild Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season is officially in the books after some miraculous fourth-quarter comebacks and surprising outcomes. While most playoff teams from last season either picked up where they left off or got better, others fell flat and have some work to do after one game.

Each of these three teams will likely be fine when the postseason rolls around if the last few seasons are any indication, but they find themselves searching for answers as things stand.

Kansas City Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes is still under center for the Chiefs, so there should be brighter days ahead for Kansas City. Still, they did not look great in a 27-21 Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, a team they had not lost to since 2021.

Once wide receiver Xavier Worthy exited the game with a dislocated shoulder in the opening quarter, Kansas City only averaged 6.1 yards per pass attempt. Aside from a 37-yard connection from Mahomes to tight end Travis Kelce to get the Chiefs within two in the fourth quarter, there was not much explosiveness on offense.

Wide receiver Rashee Rice will not be available until Week 7 as he serves a six-game suspension, and the Chiefs head into a Super Bowl rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2. It is too early to panic, but for a team that finds itself last in the AFC West for the first time since 2021, it is in uncharted territory, even if it is after one game.

Detroit Lions

According to Stats Perform, the Lions were 6-0 against NFC North opponents last season for the first time in franchise history. That will not be the case in 2025 after a disappointing 27-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Week 1 marked the beginning of the post-Ben Johnson era, as the former Lions offensive coordinator is now the head coach of the Chicago Bears. For a team that led the league in scoring last season, it only put up 13 points and 246 total yards of offense in John Morton's first game as OC.

The Lions are still loaded with Jared Goff at QB, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery at running back and Amon-Ra St. Brown leading a strong receiving corps, but they have some work to do after struggling to move the ball against the Packers.

Houston Texans

If Sunday's 14-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams was a sign of things to come, the Texans might be in for a challenging season. Quarterback C.J. Stroud had no protection and got little help from his run game. He even called his team out after the game.

The frustrating part for the Texans is those are the same issues that plagued them last season. They were tied with the Seattle Seahawks for the third-most sacks allowed (54) in 2024, per StatMuse, and allowed three on Sunday.

This team has more than enough talent surrounding Stroud on offense and clearly has a defense capable of holding its own. If these issues do not improve soon, though, it could be a long season for Houston.