The Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes are on a mission to prove their performance in the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles is an outlier, and the offense remains their “greatest strength” as the three-time Super Bowl champion seeks to catch Tom Brady again.
Mahomes already broke Brady’s shared record with former Dallas Cowboys star Roger Staubach for most wins over a QB’s first 100 starts early last season.
Potentially next on the to-do list: another AFC Championship Game berth.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes on Tom Brady’s Heels Once Again
Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs Can Match Tom Brady’s New England Patriots
“If Mahomes reaches the AFC Championship Game for an eighth consecutive season, he would match Tom Brady (2011-18) for the longest streak of conference championship starts since the 1970 merger,” per ESPN research on August 31.
The Brady-Mahomes connection will endure, with the legend offering advice.
Mahomes remains a hot-button topic, with this offseason featuring dialogue about whether or not he and the Chiefs can not only sustain their current level, but also return to the greater heights they achieved as back-to-back Super Bowl champions.
If that plan is going to come together, they are going to need some dominoes to fall into place, starting with Mahomes and the offense.
Chiefs’ ‘Biggest Strength’ at Risk Due to ‘Biggest Concern’
ESPN’s Nate Taylor listed Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid as the Chiefs’ “biggest strength” heading into the 2025 season.
Taylor wrote that the duo “is still the best coach-quarterback combination in the league,” Taylor wrote. “Mahomes was excellent in camp and has worked to improve his deep-ball passing. Reid and Mahomes are capable of adjusting during a game or the middle of the season to always give the Chiefs a chance to win.”
However, Taylor also mentioned the offensive line as the “biggest concern.”
Specifically, Taylor noted the combined inexperience of rookie first-round pick Josh Simmons at left tackle and second-year second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia at left guard.
“The Chiefs plan to protect the blind side of Mahomes with a rookie and a second-year player switching to a new position,” Taylor wrote. “How Simmons and Suamataia perform this season will determine much of the Chiefs’ success on offense.”
Josh Simmons (LT) pass protection vs the Bears pic.twitter.com/I2qtzWN4tH
— Brady Penn (@bradypenn21) August 23, 2025
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That is a lot of pressure, literally, to put on the Chiefs’ young players, even with Mahomes.
Patrick Mahomes Sees Dip in Executive Poll
The Athletic conducted a poll of coaches and executives around the league, and Mahomes experienced a notable, albeit slight, slide on the court of public opinion.
According to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, “Teams smell blood in the water” with Mahomes.
“Mahomes is just so talented, and he keeps doing it with different groups of players,” an anonymous executive said, per Howe on September 1. “They keep turning over their skill players.”
That roster turnover has presented challenges and led to Mahomes resorting to being more of a game manager.
This offseason has offered hope that the offense will return to its explosive form.
Mahomes goes long to Tyquan Thornton!
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/bVmcODAep8
— NFL (@NFL) August 23, 2025
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Otherwise, the noise around Mahomes and where his legacy is headed will only increase as he gets older and the Chiefs’ roster undergoes further changes. They also have to be cognizant of Reid’s future as the 67-year-old head coach enters his 27th year in the NFL alone.
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