The Kansas City Chiefs rounded out their 2025-26 season with a 6-11 record and no trip to the playoffs for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era. That wasn’t a great look, and now, Mahomes and the crew are gearing up for what’s hopefully a stronger 2026-27 run.
Mahomes, of course, suffered a season-ending torn left ACL and LCL in December 2025, which required immediate surgery. Now, he’s rehabbing in Kansas City and plans to be back for the Kansas City Chiefs’ season opener in September.
But, even a healthy Mahomes might not be enough to move the needle in the right direction for the Chiefs. Ahead of the 2026-27 season, Bleacher Report NFL analysts Gary Davenport, Kris Knox, Maurice Moton and Brent Sobleski have ranked the NFL teams from worst to first. Now, it’s early for power rankings, but they did it anyway.
For the Chiefs, they have Mahomes and the team all the way down at No. 20. It’s certainly not a normal spot for Kansas City.
“Before 2025, we hadn’t seen the Kansas City Chiefs miss the playoffs since the 2014 season, when quarterback Alex Smith was at the helm,” Moton notes in the piece, out on Tuesday, February 10. “They’re in much different circumstances now with Patrick Mahomes, but he’s recovering from a torn ACL.”
Then, he warns that “the Chiefs may not come roaring back to win the AFC West title in 2026.” Moton adds that “while there are rumblings about Travis Kelce playing in his 14th season, Kansas City needs more out of its skill positions at running back and wide receiver. If the front office clears cap space, look for the Chiefs to add a premier running back to balance the offense while Mahomes gets back into a groove.”
So, the new season hasn’t even started yet, and the Kansas City Chiefs are already catching shade in early rankings. They’re not used to being the underdogs, but that’s the case, at least for now.