The Kansas City Chiefs are coming into the 2025 NFL regular season with one, singular goal. They want to erase the disappointment of last year's Super Bowl loss by winning it all this year.
The good news for everyone associated with the Chiefs is that Patrick Mahomes will return for another season as the team's starting quarterback. He is already one of the greatest to ever play the position and there's no reason to think he won't play at a high level in 2025.
The franchise invested heavily in players who can help Mahomes play like an MVP. They used their first round pick on left tackle Josh Simmons. The plan in Kansas City is for him to protect their legendary quarterback's blind side for years to come. Splashing massive cash on a new contract for guard Trey Smith also should help give Mahomes plenty of time to throw.
The steady improvement of Kansas City's defense under the watchful eye of coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has been an underrated development on the national landscape. The acquisition of Kristian Fulton to start at cornerback could turn into one of the best value signings of the year. He should thrive playing in Spagnuolo's aggressive defensive system.
The Chiefs have a legitimate shot to win it all this year but they'll need some pleasant performances from some players on the roster. Here are three bold predictions on how things will play out in Kansas City.
1. Patrick Mahomes will reverse a worrying personal trend
At the height of his pomp and power, Mahomes loved to push the ball down the field with devastating efficiency. Over the past several years, his willingness to take deep shots down the field has been in sharp decline.
Part of that can be attributed to the talent surrounding him on the Chiefs' roster. The front office made a clear choice to let some high-priced talent at wide receiver walk out the door. The departure of guys like Tyreek Hill gave Mahomes less optionality when it comes to throwing it deep.
The uneven play of the offensive line has also meant the Chiefs' offense was smarter to rely on quick passes. Getting the ball out of Mahomes' hands has helped him stay healthy. It has not, however, served to strike fear in the hearts of opposing defenses.
The specific prediction here is that Mahomes will see his yards per attempt total increase in 2025. It dropped to a career low of 6.6 yards last season, which was almost three yards fewer than the highest mark of his career.
He won't regain all of the bold nature that made him so fun to watch in his younger days, but expect him to roll the dice more often this year.
2. Josh Simmons will grade out as an above-average starter
Asking a rookie to start at left tackle in the NFL can be a scary proposition. It's especially true for prospects who were selected at the end of Round 1. That's precisely what the Chiefs are doing with Josh Simmons who enters the NFL with the No. 32 overall pick in April's draft.
The best news for Simmons is that he'll be playing on a five-man line that features a lot of high-end talent. That should allow the Chiefs to give their untested left tackle a lot of help. He shouldn't experience too many snaps against top-end edge rushers without the benefit of some help.
That, combined with head coach Andy Reid's offensive genius should allow Simmons to find his feet pretty quickly. He's not going to play like an All-Pro but he's going to grade out about the average blindisde protector in the league.
3. Noah Gray catches more passes than Travis Kelce
Travis Kelce will enter the campaign as the Chiefs' No. 1 tight end. However, there are real signs of slippage in the 35-year-old's game. The odds of him staying healthy for 16 regular season games like he did last year aren't very high.
That opens the door for Noah Gray to get more targets and catches than Kelce in 2025. The team's No. 2 option does not have the star upside that Kelce possessed in his prime, but he did manage to catch 40 balls last year. Interestingly, his average yards per catch was well above his elder teammate.
Kelce is still going to be on the field when the game's on the line but Kansas City would be wise to give Gray more and more chances to make an impact. The end result will be Gray taking advantage of his chance to catch more passes than the future Hall of Famer.