Around the NFL: Context for the Kansas City Chiefs Slump
- Kansas City Chiefs
- 12/03/2025 09:58:40 PM
The Kansas City Chiefs’ recent slump—four losses in their last six games after a 5–2 start—has sparked concern among fans and analysts, but understanding this downturn requires looking beyond Kansas City’s borders. The 2025 NFL season has been defined by unprecedented parity, brutal injury trends, and a shift in offensive and defensive strategies that have disrupted even the most consistent franchises. What looks like a Chiefs-specific crisis is, in many ways, a reflection of broader league dynamics—from the rise of new AFC powerhouses to the league-wide struggle with offensive line health. Around the NFL: Context for the Kansas City Chiefs Slump breaks down the league-wide factors that have amplified the Chiefs’ struggles, putting their recent performance into a larger NFL context.
Around the NFL: Context for the Kansas City Chiefs Slump first examines the AFC’s historic parity, which has made every loss more costly for the Chiefs. Unlike recent seasons, where the Chiefs dominated the AFC West and secured top playoff seeds with relative ease, 2025 has seen three other AFC teams— the Baltimore Ravens (12–2), Buffalo Bills (11–3), and Cincinnati Bengals (10–4)—emerge as legitimate Super Bowl contenders. The Ravens, led by Lamar Jackson’s dual-threat dominance, have the league’s top-ranked defense and a rushing attack that averages 152 yards per game—posing a unique challenge for the Chiefs’ struggling run defense. The Bills, meanwhile, have refined their passing game with Josh Allen connecting with Stefon Diggs on a league-high 11 touchdown passes, creating a matchup nightmare for Kansas City’s banged-up secondary. This parity means the Chiefs can no longer afford the inconsistent stretches that once were manageable; a single loss now drops them further in the playoff race, increasing pressure on an already injury-plagued team. “The AFC is a gauntlet this year,” NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin said. “The Chiefs aren’t just fighting their own issues—they’re fighting teams that are playing at a championship level right now. That’s a different reality than what they’ve faced in the past.”
A key league-wide trend exacerbating the Chiefs’ slump is the NFL’s 2025 injury crisis, which has hit offensive lines harder than any position group. Kansas City’s offensive line woes—losing Donovan Smith, Joe Thuney, Jawaan Taylor, and potentially Kyle Long—are not an anomaly. Across the league, 32 starting offensive linemen have been placed on injured reserve this season, a 25% increase from 2024. The Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, and Detroit Lions—all Super Bowl hopefuls—have also lost multiple starting linemen, leading to a league-wide decline in rushing efficiency (average yards per carry is down to 4.1, the lowest since 2019) and an increase in sacks (average of 2.8 per game, up from 2.4 last year). This trend has disproportionately hurt teams like the Chiefs, who rely on Patrick Mahomes’ ability to extend plays—something he can’t do if he’s under constant pressure. “Every team is dealing with offensive line injuries, but the Chiefs’ system is built around having a stable line,” former NFL offensive lineman Brian Waters explained. “When you lose that stability, it breaks everything down—your running game, your passing game, even your play-calling. They’re not just dealing with their own bad luck; they’re dealing with a league-wide problem that’s making it harder to win.”
A defining aspect of Around the NFL: Context for the Kansas City Chiefs Slump is the shift in defensive strategies across the league, which has targeted the Chiefs’ biggest strengths. In recent years, defenses have increasingly adopted “two-high safety” looks to limit deep passes, but 2025 has seen a resurgence of “single-high” coverages paired with aggressive blitzes—specifically designed to disrupt Mahomes and the Chiefs’ passing game. Defenses like the Bengals and Bills have used “zone blitzes” (where linebackers or defensive backs rush while linemen drop into coverage) to confuse the Chiefs’ offensive line, leading to Mahomes being sacked 32 times this season—his highest total since 2019. This strategic shift isn’t unique to Kansas City; the 49ers and Eagles have also struggled against aggressive blitzes, but the Chiefs’ injured line makes them more vulnerable. “Defenses around the league have figured out that the way to beat the Chiefs is to pressure Mahomes early and often,” NFL defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo (who previously coached in Kansas City) said. “They’re not reinventing the wheel—they’re just executing it better because the Chiefs can’t block it right now.” For the Kansas City Chiefs, this means adjusting their offense to counter these blitzes—something they’ve struggled to do with a limited run game and injured receivers.
Another league factor impacting the Chiefs’ slump is the NFL’s 2025 rule change emphasizing stricter enforcement of holding calls on offensive linemen. The league’s competition committee implemented the change to reduce “illegal blocking” and improve player safety, but it has led to a 30% increase in holding penalties this season. For the Chiefs, who already have an inexperienced offensive line, this rule change has been costly: their linemen have been called for 18 holding penalties this season, third-most in the NFL. These penalties have killed key drives—including a holding call on Nick Allegretti in the fourth quarter of the Chiefs’ Week 13 loss to the Bengals that negated a 20-yard gain—and disrupted the team’s rhythm. “The rule change has made it harder for young linemen to adjust,” Chiefs offensive line coach Andy Heck admitted. “They’re still learning how to block without crossing the line, and when you add that to the pressure of playing for the Chiefs, it’s a recipe for mistakes.” For the Kansas City Chiefs, this rule change isn’t an excuse—it’s a reality that other teams have adapted to better. The Ravens and 49ers, for example, have seen holding penalties decrease in the second half of the season, while the Chiefs’ total has stayed consistent.
The final league-wide context for the Chiefs’ slump is the pressure of playoff seeding, which has led to more conservative play from contending teams. With the AFC playoff picture so tight, teams like the Chiefs have been more likely to “play not to lose” in close games—abandoning the aggressive play-calling that defined their past success. In the fourth quarter of one-possession games this season, the Chiefs have run the ball 65% of the time, up from 45% in 2024, and have only attempted three passes longer than 20 yards. This conservative approach has backfired: they’ve lost four one-possession games this season, compared to just one in 2024. “When you’re in a tight playoff race, it’s easy to get conservative,” former Chiefs head coach Herman Edwards said. “But the Chiefs win when they’re aggressive—when they let Mahomes make plays, when they take shots downfield. Right now, they’re playing like a team that’s scared to lose, and that’s not who they are.” This trend isn’t unique to Kansas City; the Bills and Lions have also become more conservative in close games, but their stronger defenses and healthier rosters have allowed them to pull out wins. For the Kansas City Chiefs, breaking out of this slump will require embracing their aggressive identity again—something that’s harder to do when injuries have weakened their roster.
Wrapping up, Around the NFL: Context for the Kansas City Chiefs Slump shows that the Chiefs’ struggles are not just a product of their own mistakes, but of larger league trends that have made winning harder for everyone. From historic AFC parity to a league-wide offensive line injury crisis, from shifting defensive strategies to stricter rule enforcement, the Chiefs are facing challenges that every contender is dealing with—but their specific roster issues have made them less equipped to overcome them. This context doesn’t excuse their losses, but it does provide a clearer picture of why this season has been so frustrating. For the Chiefs to turn things around, they’ll need to adapt to these league trends while fixing their own problems—something they’ve done successfully in the past. As they head into the final weeks of the season, the question isn’t whether the Chiefs can still win—it’s whether they can navigate the unique challenges of the 2025 NFL season well enough to get back to their championship form. One thing is clear: the Kansas City Chiefs’ slump is a symptom of a league in flux, and how they respond will define not just their 2025 season, but their ability to stay competitive in the years to come.