If you’d told any Chiefs fan back in August that they’d be staring at a 6-11 finish, they would’ve laughed you out of the room. Seriously. This was the team that nearly pulled off the impossible "three-peat" less than a year ago. But the chiefs record this year tells a much darker story, one defined by stagnant offense, a revolving door at quarterback, and a defense that simply got tired of carrying the weight.
It wasn't just a "down year." It was a total collapse of the standard we've come to expect from the Andy Reid era.
The Brutal Reality of the 6-11 Season
Honestly, looking at the standings is a bit of a gut punch. Kansas City finished 3rd in the AFC West, looking up at the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers. That hasn't happened since 2015. They missed the playoffs entirely. The streak is dead. For the first time since 2014, there was no January football in KC, and the vibes around GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium have turned from celebratory to searching.
The season started with a whimper. A Week 1 loss to the Chargers set the tone. Then came the Eagles in Week 2, a Super Bowl LIX rematch that felt more like a lingering hangover than a fresh start. They did manage a three-game winning streak through October, beating the Lions and Raiders, but it was fool's gold. Once the calendar hit November, the wheels didn't just wobble—they fell off.
📖 Related: Good Football Streaming Sites: What Most People Get Wrong
Why the Offense Evaporated
People want to blame one thing, but it was a combination of everything. Patrick Mahomes didn't look like himself. He was sacked 34 times in just 14 games. That’s a lot of hits for a guy who usually dances his way out of trouble. His passer rating dipped to 89.6, and the interceptions—11 of them—seemed to come at the worst possible moments.
Then the injuries hit.
- Rashee Rice was sidelined after only eight games.
- Isiah Pacheco missed significant time, finishing with just 462 rushing yards.
- Patrick Mahomes eventually missed the final three games of the season.
When Mahomes went down, the depth chart was exposed. Gardner Minshew tried to steady the ship but injured his knee. That left the team starting Chris Oladokun for the final two games of the year. You just aren't winning many NFL games with your third-stringer, regardless of how many "next man up" speeches Andy Reid gives in the locker room.
Analyzing the Chiefs Record This Year by the Numbers
If you want to understand why they kept losing, look at the margin of defeat. This is the part that drives fans crazy. Nine of the Chiefs' 11 losses were by seven points or less. They were right there. They just couldn't close.
The offense averaged only 21.3 points per game. That ranked them 21st in the league. For a team led by Mahomes and Travis Kelce, that’s almost hard to believe. Kelce himself, while still a Pro Bowler, didn't have those dominant 100-yard games that used to be his calling card. He finished the season with 5 receiving touchdowns. Kareem Hunt did his best to shoulder the load with 8 rushing touchdowns, but 3.8 yards per carry isn't exactly lighting the world on fire.
The Defense Did Their Part (Mostly)
Steve Spagnuolo’s unit was actually the bright spot for a long time. They allowed just 19.3 points per game, which was 6th best in the NFL. Chris Jones and Creed Humphrey were the anchors. But you can only ask a defense to hold a team to 17 points so many times before they break. By the time they hit that Week 16 loss to the Titans (26-9), the defense looked spent.
🔗 Read more: NFL Picks Against the Spread Week 3: Why the Public is Fading the Wrong Teams
What Happened to the AFC West Dominance?
The division wasn't a cakewalk anymore. Denver found a rhythm, and the Chargers under Jim Harbaugh became a physical nightmare. The Chiefs went 1-5 in the division. Think about that. They basically forgot how to beat their own neighbors.
The low point? Probably the Christmas Day loss to the Broncos. Losing 20-13 at home on a holiday while the playoffs are slipping away is a special kind of misery. It was the first time since 2012 that this franchise finished with a losing record.
Key Stats from the 2025-2026 Campaign
| Stat | Performance |
|---|---|
| Final Record | 6-11 |
| Division Rank | 3rd in AFC West |
| Points For | 362 (21.3/game) |
| Points Against | 328 (19.3/game) |
| Mahomes Passing TDs | 22 |
| Team Turnovers | -1 Ratio |
Looking Toward the 2026 Offseason
So, where do they go from here? The "three-peat" dream is officially buried, and now the focus is on a total rebuild of the supporting cast. The 2025 draft brought in some help like offensive tackle Josh Simmons from Ohio State, but clearly, it wasn't enough to protect the franchise's biggest asset.
Matt Nagy's offense took a massive amount of heat this year. There’s a lot of chatter about whether the scheme has become too predictable. Without a deep threat to keep safeties honest, teams just sat on the intermediate routes and dared the Chiefs to run. They couldn't do it consistently.
✨ Don't miss: San Francisco Basketball Schedule: What Fans Usually Miss
Actions the Front Office Must Take
Brett Veach has his work cut out for him. The priority has to be the wide receiver room and the offensive line depth. You can't have Mahomes running for his life in his 30s. They also need to figure out the successor to Kelce, because while 87 is a legend, the production is starting to mirror a natural age-related decline.
If you're a fan looking for a silver lining, it's this: They have a high draft pick now. That hasn't happened in a decade.
Watch the cap space closely. With several veterans becoming free agents, the roster you see today might look very different by the time training camp rolls around in July. The chiefs record this year was a wake-up call. Whether they hit the snooze button or actually fix the problems will define the rest of Patrick Mahomes' career.
To stay ahead of the curve, keep an eye on the official NFL transaction wire during the first week of the new league year in March. That's when we'll see if the Chiefs are aggressive in the trade market or if they're going to play it safe with the draft. Also, check the injury recovery timelines for Rice and Mahomes; their availability for OTAs will be the first real sign of a 2026 bounce-back.