Three glaring weaknesses Chiefs must address during bye week

At the midway point of the 2025 season, the Kansas City Chiefs are 5-4. Amid their bye week and ahead of a tough second-half schedule, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has three glaring weaknesses he must address.

1. The running game lacks explosiveness

The Chiefs feature a trio of lackluster running backs who, well, lack luster. Though the team’s average yards per carry (4.5) is slightly above the league average (4.4), all of its running backs come up short. 

Isiah Pacheco averages 4.2 yards per carry, while Kareem Hunt is at 4.0 yards per rush and Brashard Smith comes in at just 2.9 yards per tote. The team's longest carry (35 yards) on the season belongs to a wide receiver (Xavier Worthy), and all of the running backs have issues. 

Pacheco’s physical running style is entertaining, but it keeps him one play away from injured reserve. Hunt, who led the NFL in rushing as a rookie in 2017, has morphed into a short-yardage specialist, and the seldom-used Smith has not yet found his footing. The rumored attempt to trade for New York Jets tailback Breece Hall (5.0 yards per carry) apparently fell through, so the Chiefs have two choices to kickstart their running game: design a few plays to get Smith going or conjure up some trickeration for Worthy or their other versatile WRs, Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown.

2. The offensive line has been inconsistent and is banged up

Injuries to Trey Smith and Jawaan Taylor, as well as the prolonged absence of rookie Josh Simmons, have temporarily robbed the offensive line of its swagger. And the erratic play of Jaylon Moore and backups Mike Caliendo and Wanya Morris interrupted a six-game string of solid performances. 

Simmons’ return and two weeks of reps should get the first-teamers in sync and make the recent 28-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills, which saw quarterback Patrick Mahomes complete less than 50% of his passes in a game for the first time, a distant memory. 

3. The defensive line is not getting home

The Chiefs have 20 sacks for the season, just under the league average (20.7). Defensive end George Karlaftis leads the team with five, while defensive tackle Chris Jones and defensive end Charles Omenihu have two each, but no other defensive lineman has more than one. 

At his current pace, Jones would end the season with four sacks, the fewest since his rookie year. His QB hits are down, too. He is on schedule to end the season with 15, which is significantly less than what he has averaged (21.6) in nine previous seasons.

Since Jones is routinely double-teamed, the other interior linemen are going one-on-one against offensive linemen and have to win. But they haven’t. If the recent re-signing of veteran defensive tackle Mike Pennel doesn’t help, they’ll have to rely on DC Steve Spagnuolo to dial up pressure using linebackers or the secondary.

After their bye, the Chiefs will find themselves in a must-win situation versus the Denver Broncos. Reid has a short amount of time to right the ship and make the proper adjustments. Time will tell if the Chiefs are up to the task.