The 2025 season will go down as one of the most disappointing chapters in recent memory for the Kansas City Chiefs. After a period of dominance since Patrick Mahomes took over as the starting quarterback in 2018, where the team’s expectations were set to Super Bowl-or-bust, this season proved to be a colossal failure for the organization. The Chiefs, who had been perennial contenders for the championship, missed the playoffs entirely, finishing with a dismal 6-11 record. This is not just a missed opportunity—it marks a significant shift in the team’s trajectory. What’s more concerning is the uncertainty surrounding Patrick Mahomes’ health and his status for the 2026 season, putting the future of the franchise in serious jeopardy.

This performance has sent shockwaves through the NFL world, particularly in Kansas City, where the expectations for the team and their star quarterback are always sky-high. Mahomes, at 30 years old, has been the cornerstone of the Chiefs’ success, but this season’s injuries and overall struggles have raised serious questions about the franchise’s future. The pressure on Mahomes to perform at an elite level each season has been immense, and as former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky pointed out in a recent interview, the burden on Mahomes is unsustainable.

The Slow Decline of Patrick Mahomes’ Performance

Orlovsky, now an ESPN NFL Analyst, sat down with Jason Anderson of Sports Radio 810 WHB in Kansas City and shared his insights on the situation. He pointed out that Mahomes’ decline over the past two and a half years has been gradual but noticeable. According to Orlovsky, it has become increasingly clear that the demand for Mahomes to shoulder more responsibility has reached a tipping point.

“It’s like a slow fade with Patrick [Mahomes] in Kansas City,” Orlovsky said. “Over the course of the last two-and-a-half years, the demand for him to do more, to bear more, and to carry more weight has only increased.” Orlovsky continued, emphasizing how easy it is for people to assume that Mahomes, being Patrick Mahomes, should be able to handle this pressure without fail. However, he made it clear that this expectation is unrealistic, especially in the context of an 18-game season and the intense pressure of the playoffs.

“Just because you can, and he has, doesn’t mean you want that to be the course and the majority of an 18-game season and into the playoffs when everybody else is getting paid as well,” Orlovsky noted. This, in essence, is the core issue facing the Chiefs: while Mahomes is undeniably one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game, he cannot carry the team alone. The roster surrounding him has shown weaknesses in multiple areas, and relying too heavily on Mahomes to cover these gaps is a recipe for disaster.

A Shift in Scheme: Adjusting to the Modern NFL

Orlovsky didn’t just point the finger at Mahomes’ performance but also at the overall scheme of the Kansas City offense. According to Orlovsky, the team’s offensive approach needs a major overhaul. He has been vocal about the Chiefs’ offensive scheme, suggesting that it lacks some of the necessary adjustments needed to succeed in today’s NFL.

“There’s a lot of scheme things that, in Kansas City, I still think are and have lacked,” Orlovsky said. He went on to explain that one major adjustment could be to run more plays under center and put bigger bodies on the field. In Orlovsky’s view, this does not diminish Mahomes’ abilities but rather helps reduce the constant burden on him to perform spectacular feats every single game.

Mahomes’ brilliance has often been highlighted by his ability to make plays out of structure, but Orlovsky believes that asking him to do so every game is not sustainable. “It doesn’t just help Patrick, it helps everybody else,” he added. By diversifying the offensive strategy, the Chiefs can take some pressure off Mahomes, allowing him to focus on what he does best—making big plays when needed, rather than having to perform miracles on every snap.

The Impact of Eric Bieniemy’s Return: Is a Change Coming?

Another layer of complexity to the Chiefs’ situation is the potential return of offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. As Orlovsky pointed out, the future of the Chiefs’ offense could hinge on how Bieniemy and the coaching staff adjust the scheme in the wake of a disappointing 2025 season.

“I’ll be interested in what [offensive coordinator] Eric Bieniemy coming back and no longer Matt Nagy being there, how they evolve,” Orlovsky said. He hinted that the Chiefs may need to move away from relying too heavily on the run-pass option (RPO) system that worked so well in the past. While the Chiefs were incredibly successful with RPOs in their Super Bowl-winning seasons, Orlovsky believes that the modern NFL requires more versatility and adaptability in the offensive playbook.

In Orlovsky’s opinion, sticking with an offense that relies on RPOs for 80 percent of snaps, as the Chiefs did in their previous championship seasons, is no longer a viable strategy. “Six years ago, they could and they did, and it was great, but it’s a different era right now.” The NFL has evolved, and teams that fail to adapt will struggle to keep pace with the competition.

The Reality of the Situation: A Team Ill-Prepared for the 2025 Season

Everything Orlovsky said about the Chiefs’ 2025 season rings true. The harsh reality is that the franchise was ill-prepared for this year, thinking that Mahomes could mask the glaring weaknesses across the roster. Rather than focusing on improving the team’s depth and addressing critical areas of need, the Chiefs front office and coaching staff placed an unfair burden on Mahomes, expecting him to excel despite the subpar talent surrounding him.

This over-reliance on Mahomes has become increasingly evident in the Chiefs’ performance, especially when key players around him struggled to step up. With injuries hitting hard and the offensive line inconsistent, Mahomes has been left to fend for himself more often than not. The result? A disappointing 6-11 record that leaves the team searching for answers this offseason.

Looking Ahead: What Needs to Change for the Chiefs

The Chiefs now face a pivotal offseason, with the future of the franchise hanging in the balance. If they want to return to championship contention, there must be a fundamental shift in how they approach roster construction and offensive strategy. They can no longer afford to lean on Mahomes to carry them to victory every week. Instead, the team needs to invest in better personnel, adjust the offensive scheme to better support Mahomes, and make sure the entire roster is built for sustained success.