The Kansas City Chiefs are 5-5 following Sunday’s Week 11 loss to the AFC West-rival Denver Broncos.
Just one year after winning another AFC title and making a run to Super Bowl LIX, Patrick Mahomes and the powerhouse Chiefs are in danger of missing the playoffs.
So, what’s the problem for this year’s iteration of the Chiefs?
CBS Sports insider Jonathan Jones posed this question to several anonymous rival coaches and executives around the NFL. Many of these sources referenced an aging roster, specifically mentioning 36-year-old tight end Travis Kelce.
One rival coach was particularly blunt when discussing Kelce’s decline.
“No difference actually at all. That’s the thing. Defenses have adjusted to beat them and they haven’t adjusted back,” the coach said. “Kelce is nowhere close to the player he was in 2023 and that was nowhere close to the guy he was in 2021. He’s a guy in free fall from a skill standpoint that’s just age showing up.”
Another coach noted that Kelce is “not as potent as he once was.” Another said he’s “diminishing.”
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Despite this criticism, Kelce is still the Chiefs’ leading receiver through the first 10 games of the 2025 NFL season. In his 13th campaign as an all-time great tight end for Kansas City, he has 50 catches for 631 yards and four touchdowns.
In Sunday’s 22-19 loss to Denver, Kelce reeled in nine catches for a team-leading 91 yards and one touchdown. His lone score marked the 84th of his NFL career, passing Priest Holmes for sole possession of the Chiefs’ franchise TD record.
Kelce’s 2023 campaign ended a streak of seven consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards. He had 984 yards and five touchdowns in 2023, and 823 yards and three touchdowns in 2024.
That being said, Kelce is on pace to improve on both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in 2025.
Kelce and the Chiefs will look to get their season back on track in a Week 12 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.