Patrick Mahomes is both a player carrying one of the great early-career résumés in NFL history and one whose production since the start of the 2023 season has not aligned with his reputation. The all-time quarterback talent has not led impressive offenses since his 2022 MVP season, but the Chiefs' success in this period has masked this alarmingly unexciting unit's work.
Kansas City slipped to 15th in scoring offense in 2023 but won Super Bowl LVIII anyway. The Chiefs' first-stringers managed to go 15-1 in 2024, also doing so with the NFL's No. 15-ranked offense. Through two games this season, the team's hopes of a reignition on that side of the ball -- perhaps the central organizational talking point this offseason -- appear misplaced.
While the Chiefs will certainly improve once Rashee Rice's six-game personal conduct suspension ends, that is unlikely to be a cure-all. Personnel misses have created deficiencies here, and Mahomes has gone from a player on pace to be the greatest ever at his position to one struggling to remind consistently of his early artistry.
This is not to say the Chiefs' offense is talent-less outside of its quarterback; the team has an All-Pro center (Creed Humphrey) and a Pro Bowl right guard (Trey Smith). It also has seen promising early work from first-round left tackle Josh Simmons. While many teams would envy that O-line foundation, other issues have dragged the Chiefs into offensive mediocrity despite employing the league's biggest star.
