When Kansas City got embarrassed in Super Bowl LV against Tampa Bay it became clear and obvious that Patrick Mahomes needed two things to change in order to be the generational talent he has become: a strong, healthy offensive line and a wide receiver room that doesn’t drop the ball.
Player usage has been a fascinating part of this disappointing season. You cannot really point to that being a main issue that led to the loss against Houston. However, there are still some obvious trends forming via the snap counts. One player that stood out in that area was running back Isiah Pacheco.
The past few yearsâfor the most partâthe team has fixed those problems with pieces both drafted and brought in through free agency. Left tackle Josh Simmons proved to be a solid addition to the offensive line, showing strong performances when he has been on the field, but he is now gone for the season.
Rashee Rice became Mahomes’ security blanket late in his rookie season after receivers like Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Kadarius Toney became more known for their drops than their touchdowns.
Fast-forward to Sunday nightâs game against Houston, and it would appear that Kansas City is back to square one on both accounts. But how exactly did we get here? And how exactly can Mahomes, Andy Reid, and Veach fix these problems before it’s too late?
$68 Million well spent…
Earlier this year, in response to the horrendous offensive line play in the Chiefs’ blowout loss in Super Bowl LIX, Veach drafted Simmons out of Ohio State and signed Jaylon Moore to a two-year, $30 million contract.
Both of these decisions showed Chiefs Kingdom that Veach was serious about shoring up the left tackle position, hoping that one would become as consistent and strong as Willie Roaf and Eric Fisher once were.
Simmons proved to be that guy (when he’s on the field), but a personal issue and now a dislocated and fractured wrist will keep him sidelined until next season. Moore has also shown signs of growth in his few starts at both LT and, this last week, at RT.
Sunday’s game featured backups for three-fifths of the offensive line, with a backup to the backup being needed after just one snap on offense due to Wanya Morris injuring his lower leg in gnarly fashion. Now, for the foreseeable future, it would appear Mahomes is once again working with a patchwork offensive line despite Veach and Kansas City spending more than any other team on their front five.
Yes, even after $68,890,894 being spent this season on the Chiefs’ RT Jawaan Taylor ($27.4M), RG Trey Smith ($14.25M), C Creed Humphrey ($10.8M), backup OL Moore ($11.2M), and the rest, they are back to square one on the line. Sadly, Mahomes is the one who will pay because of the injuries and the lack of consistency on the line, and that could mean an early exit this season if things don’t get better fast.
The drops have returned
Two years ago, the Chiefs entered the season with the likes of Kadarius Toney, Mecole Hardman, Skyy Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling (MVS), and Justin Watson at the top of their receiver corps. The very first game of the season, at home against Detroit, showed that almost all of those names made their way onto the roster without proving they could hold onto the ball.
Later in the year, after dropping more balls than any other team (44), Mahomes finally found a solid pair of hands in then-rookie receiver Rashee Rice, who broke multiple rookie records in the playoffs because he became such a security blanket.
After dropping Toney, trading Moore, releasing MVS, and waving bye-bye to Watson, one would think that Mahomes finally has some glue sticks for hands, but Sunday night’s game proved that is not the case.
The sure-handed gloves of Rice proved to be faulty, dropping multiple passes that hit him perfectly in stride, including a massive fourth down late. Not only that, Travis Kelce once again couldn’t haul in a catch (below), and once again it led to an interception that essentially sealed the game (much like Week Two against Philadelphia).
KELCE DROPS IT AND MAHOMES IS PICKED OFF FOR THE 3RD TIME TONIGHT đ±
(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/2bRwcqqGUb— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 8, 2025
Now that Kansas City is nearing elimination from the playoffs for the first time in Mahomes’ career, there has to be a discussion about the drops that have continued to plague him since COVID regulations ended. Not only that, there will likely be tough conversations with players like Kelce and Kareem Hunt (who also had a key drop that hit him right in the hands), which probably means different names catching balls next year.
Last year proved that Mahomes thrives when his receivers are reliable, but this year KC is currently sixth in the league in drops (19), behind the likes of Cleveland (22) and the New York Jets (22). Pair that with Mahomes’ lack of blocking and the pocket consistently collapsing faster and faster, and suddenly he’s throwing laser beams earlier than he wants to.
That shows even more when you see Mahomes’ time to throw (2.63 seconds), which is the shortest it’s been in four yearsâsince Veach fully revamped the offensive line.
What can Kansas City do?
At this point in the season, it’s nearly impossible to fix either of these problems without blowing up the team (figuratively), but knowing Mahomes and Reid, they will not let anyone get away with mediocre practices or continuing to play subpar when the season is not technically over.
Getting the jugs machine some extra batteries is the only way to help Rice (6 drops in 2025), Kelce (7 drops in ’25), and Marquise Brown (3 drops in ’25). But even then, Mahomes has shown thatâunless youâve proven him wrong in big momentsâheâs not going to throw to you if your hands have not been solid.
As far as the offensive line, it might be worth the risk to let Esa Pole, the backup who entered Sunday nightâs game after Morris left, get some serious reps at LT while Moore continues to show he can play RT. Even then, the risk is Mahomes’ health, which means once the Chiefs are actually eliminated from playoff contention, risking Gardner Minshew’s health might be smarter for the final games.
Until they are fully eliminated, it would appear the game plan has to be similar to the Houston game: moving the pocket as soon as the ball is snapped. This works for so few teams, but not KC because of how prolific Mahomes is while throwing on the run.
No matter what way you look at it, it is closing in on midnight for Kansas City. Sadly, it’s largely due to their highest-paid offensive line being unavailable for most of the season and their supremely talented wide receiver corps having bricks for hands when the game is on the line.
