For the past several years, the NFL has gotten used to seeing Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid cruising through the AFC, stacking wins and looking like Super Bowl contenders by midseason. But this year has taken a surprising turn. 

“The Chiefs used to confidently beat the best teams in the league, but now I don’t think we can do that anymore,” said junior Isaiah Logan, a Chiefs fan

This season, Chiefs fans have noticed a lack of that signature offensive power which used to define the Kansas City team. 

This season, the offensive line has struggled to create big plays or finish drives consistently. 

Even stars like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, have been struggling to perform at the same high level as the rest of the offense. 

Without that signature spark, Kansas City has looked far less dominant than fans are used to seeing.

“It just seems like the Chiefs can’t move the ball well on offense, and can’t finish a drive in the Red Zone,” said sophomore Chiefs fan Levi Kitchell. 

Kitchell points out what every Chiefs fan is thinking: the Chiefs struggle to pull through close games.

The team’s ability to clutch close scoring games used to be the strongest aspect of the team just last year. 

This year, Kansas City is 1-6 in one-score games, compared to last year’s historical record of 12-0. 

“Watching these close games makes me lose some hope for the Chiefs. I don’t get why they can’t clutch up anymore,” said Kitchell.

Everybody knows that Patrick Mahomes has been the heart of this team for years now. This year, he has 3,398 passing yards and 22 touchdowns, placing him in third for most passing yards in the league.

With those kinds of numbers, expectations for Mahomes are far higher than ever before. Since being drafted, he’s played at an MVP level almost every season. Fans naturally expect Mahomes to hold the offense to the same elite standard.

“I don’t think that Mahomes is the problem, he’s been getting unlucky, and the Chiefs are 2nd in the league in drops. We’ve had a lot of injuries, and our playcalling hasn’t been great. I wouldn’t blame the record on Mahomes,” said teacher Jermemy Houchins 

Kansas City’s performance in its most recent game on Dec. 7 against the Houston Texans really puts their season into perspective. 

Mahomes threw 3 interceptions and zero touchdowns alongside his 160 total yards. Tight end Travis Kelce played one of the worst games of his career as he caught one of the 5 balls thrown at him and had a critical drop that led to an interception late in the game. On top of this, kicker Harrison Butker missed a 43-yard field goal, making the Chiefs go scoreless into halftime. 

This took the Chiefs’ record to 6-7, and with the Chargers and Broncos ahead of them in the division, the Chiefs only have a 10% chance of making the playoffs, ending the dynasty with a hard break. 

“There are a lot of position groups that struggle on the Chiefs, even the special team seems to suck at times, which isn’t normal,” said Logan.

As it stands, the Chiefs are not even in the playoff picture. They aren’t eliminated, but with their recent loss, their odds of making the playoffs this year are down to around 15%, shocking the NFL.

“I do not think the Chiefs make the playoffs. I actually want them to miss the playoffs so we get a higher draft pick,” said Houchins. 

For now, Chiefs fans know they need to win the rest of their schedule if they want a shot at the playoffs, and hope some other AFC contenders start losing. 

But students at South have different opinions on what’s going on with this unexpected start to a season. Some say injuries have a major impact, as 4 out of the 5 starting offensive linemen are currently injured for the Chiefs.

“I think the Chiefs are just struggling with injuries, mainly in the o-line. That’s it, they’ll bounce back next year,” said Kitchell.

Others say this issue goes beyond injuries, saying this roster just isn’t built the same way it used to be, with the players just not being as good anymore, starting with the receivers.

“In the last few games, it seems like nobody Mahomes throws to, can make good catches, which people blame Mahomes for,” said Logan.

No matter what the reason for this down year in Kansas City, it is clear that this isn’t the same Chiefs team that knows how to win important games, as Kitchell says.

“They know who they are and can bounce back next year with the talent they have,” he said.

With the playoff race coming to an end, time is running out for Kansas City to keep its 10-year streak of making the playoffs. This brings up the question: Is the Chiefs’ dynasty over?

“I think it’s like the Patriots, I don’t think the dynasty is ‘over’ I think we might have 1 or 2 reset years and then be right back.”