Kansas City Chiefs Off To Historically Bad Start And It's Hard To Recognize How They're Playing

The shine and luster is off the Kansas City Chiefs.

The exemplary franchise that set the standard for all the other NFL teams by playing in five Super Bowls the last six years is winless after the first two weeks of this season. The Chiefs are not just in last place in their AFC West division, they're in terrible company.

The Chiefs need to respond quickly because their record is no better now than the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and New York Jets – teams that opened this season expected to race for the No. 1 draft pick next April.

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 14: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs scores a 13 yard touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second quarter in the game at Arrowhead Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Bad Start Amid High Expectations

"Obviously this is not how we wanted to start," quarterback Patrick Mahomes said, "but it's about how we're going to respond."

The expectations were high for the Chiefs before the season began.

Those were about continuing to be Taylor Swift's favorite team ...

About still being corporate America's most commercial team …

About continuing to be great.

But here we are. The Chiefs are worse than middling right now. 

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 14: Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs runs with the ball against Cooper DeJean #33 of the Philadelphia Eagles during the fourth quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Mahomes First 3-Game Skid

And, yes, it's early. The Chiefs will eventually get their best receiver Rashee Rice back in the lineup when he comes off suspension in October. And the defense has been solid.

But both units have been one play away too often to make a difference. And that's not good enough. It is, in fact, historically bad. 

This is Patrick Mahomes' first ever three-game losing streak since he's entered the NFL.

This is the first time the Chiefs have been 0-2 since 2014 – coach Andy Reid's second season and three years before Mahomes was drafted so, yeah, a long time ago.

These are obviously not the same Chiefs.

Their amazing combination of Mahomes to Travis Kelce has grown stale. Kelce caught four passes Sunday but his drop of a certain TD not only cost the team a score, but also a turnover when the ball bounded off his hands and into the hands of a defender at the goal line.

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 14: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs congratulates Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles after the game at Arrowhead Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)

Mahomes Team's Best Rusher? Really?

Mahomes hasn't been himself, either. He's been outplayed by the opposing quarterback – Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts – the first two weeks of the season and he's missed passes that he simply hasn't missed in the past.

You know what else is wrong with Mahomes? He's led the Chiefs in rushing both games this season. And that is definitely not the way anyone on that team wants.

So, yes, the passing game is not efficient and the running game is broken.

This follows a week in which offensive coordinator Matt Nagy called out offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor for his 4,503,428 penalties the past year.

Otherwise that Chiefs offense is humming. 

No Help On Offense, Defense Or Officiating

Even the officiating isn't helping the Chiefs like it did multiple times last year.

And we do mean multiple times.

Everything has seemingly betrayed the Chiefs.

"We've never been 0-2 but we've deal with challenges before and lost games," Mahomes said. "We'll continue to work even harder so that when we step on the field the next time we find a way to win in those big moments we had these first two weeks." 

As this Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles was drawing to an end and the Eagles were basically snapping the ball to run out the clock, Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones actually decided it was a good time to trash talk the Eagles.

"You don't even have 100 yards," Jones yelled across the line of scrimmage to Philly quarterback Jalen Hurts.

(He was wrong, by the way, because Hurts threw for 101 yards and the Eagles rushed for 122 yards.)

"We won the f--king game," Hurts retorted. "Shut your ass up."

It's not the same Chiefs, folks.