DENVER, COLORADO – JANUARY 08: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs reacts after a play against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on January 8, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
After a Super Bowl victory in 2020, the Kansas City Chiefs haven’t taken home a Lombardi — and 3 roster holes could make their 2022 path more unlikely.
With Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs coming off of their second straight year capped off by a devastating season-ending loss — Super Bowl 55 and the 2022 AFC Championship game — it has become glaringly obvious how difficult it is to finish atop the league on a consistent basis. The Chiefs have now hosted the AFC Championship game at Arrowhead Stadium in each of Mahomes’ first four seasons at the helm, yet they only have two trips to the Super Bowl and one victory to show for it. Granted, that success is wildly impressive in its own respect. The entire football world is jaded by the career that we have seen from the likes of Tom Brady, and at 26 years old, Mahomes is already being hit with similar expectations.
In each of the three seasons that didn’t result in a Super Bowl victory, there was one specific aspect of the roster that could be blamed in retrospect. In 2019, when the Chiefs lost to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, the defensive secondary couldn’t contain the Pats receivers. In 2021, Brady was on the winning end once more, this time in Super Bowl 55 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In that game, the Bucs defense line clashed with an injury-riddled offensive line and a panicking Patrick Mahomes, which eventually decided the dismal outcome. Finally, in 2022, the Chiefs defensive line simply couldn’t get to Joe Burrow, allowing the Cincinnati Bengals offense to improvise their way to a 21-point come-from-behind victory.
In the upcoming season, the Kansas City Chiefs are putting a nearly completely overhauled team onto the field, and a lot is up in the air. The offense may or may not continue on with its usual scheduled programming and success, and the defense could either be lightyears ahead of its previous four seasons or stuck exactly where it left off. All things considered, here are the three most likely holes on the Chiefs roster that could cost Patrick Mahomes another Super Bowl.