Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Andy Reid
Offensive Coordinator: Matt Nagy
Defensive Coordinator: Steve Spagnuolo
Special Teams Coordinator: Dave Toub
2024 Summary (W-L Record: 15-2)
The Chiefs got closer to a 3-peat than any team in the Super Bowl era. Unfortunately, they got blown out in the Super Bowl by the Eagles. The 40-22 final score was a lot closer than the game actually was (they trailed 34-0 at one point). Philadelphia’s defense, and specifically the mismatch in the trenches, was the driving force in the lopsided win.
The Chiefs are known for Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, but they’ve actually turned into a team led by their defense in recent years, as you can see from their 2024 season stats below:
Their numbers on offense weren’t that of a 15-2 team. By almost any metric, they were a middle-of-the-pack offense, which is not something you expect from a team with Andy Reid as the head coach and Mahomes as the quarterback.
Due to their injuries at wide receiver, they morphed into a ball-control passing game that didn’t really attempt to push the ball downfield much. In fact, they ranked dead last in the NFL in average air yards per attempt according to Pro-Football-Reference, and they had the 6th fewest completions of 20 yards or more.
They relied on taking care of the football (4th in turnovers) and a short-passing game that led to yards after the catch (6th in YAC/Completion).
They were also the best 3rd-down offense in football last season. They technically finished the season ranked 2nd in conversion percentage, but they entered Week 18 as the #1 team and then sat Patrick Mahomes. So I think it’s safe to call them the best 3rd-down offense in the league.
You can see how they did it in this breakdown below:
The Magic in the Chiefs Offense Comes on 3rd Down
It sounds weird to say it, but the Chiefs really haven’t been that good on offense this season. They were 15th in the NFL in scoring, 16 in total yards, 14th in passing, and 22nd in rushing.
It’s hard to argue that a big part of this team’s success in general is that they know how to win. While that’s a completely subjective argument that isn’t necessarily driven by all-22 analysis or analytics, what else can you call it after seeing the Chiefs win 2 Super Bowls and then go 12-0 in 1-possession games last season. They’ve won 17 straight one-possession games going back to 2023.
Clearly all those close wins aren’t a fluke.
Mahomes was especially good in critical moments at the end of games in 2024, leading the Chiefs to 6 fourth-quarter come-from-behind wins and 8 game-winning drives.
The defense and special teams did their part to close out games as well. And that gets us into that Steve Spagnuolo-led defense, which is one of the most fun to watch in the league. Last season, they were great just about everywhere, finishing 4th in points allowed, 8th against the run, and 5th in pressure percentage.
The Chiefs blitzed at the 4th highest frequency in the NFL, and Spags always had something dialed up for a critical situation:
Always Bet On Pressure From Steve Spagnuolo in Big Moments
The Bills weren’t the first team to experience pressure from Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo in the biggest moment of a game. They won’t be the last, either.
Key Additions
WR Jalen Royals (4th Rd, 133rd Overall)
LT Josh Simmons (1st Rd, 32nd Overall)
LT Jaylon Moore
DL Jerry Tillery
DL Omarr Norman-Lott (2nd Rd, 63rd Overall)
EDGE Ashton Gillotte (3rd Rd, 66th Overall)
CB Kristian Fulton
CB Nohl Williams (3rd Rd, 85th Overall)
Key Losses
RB Samaje Perine
WR Justin Watson
WR DeAndre Hopkins
LG Joe Thuney
DL Tershawn Wharton
DL Mike Pennel
S Justin Reid
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Did They Address Their Holes?
Similar to their previous blowout Super Bowl loss 4 years earlier, pressure on Patrick Mahomes is what ultimately hurt the Chiefs the most in their 3-peat bid:
Super Bowl LIX Recap: Chiefs Offense vs. Eagles Defense
On paper heading into Super Bowl LIX, it seemed like the Eagles had an advantage over the Chiefs just about everywhere. But there was no way they were going to actually overwhelm and dominate Kansas City, right? We’re talking about Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and the 2-time defending champs here.
Last season, K.C. ranked 27th in pressure % allowed according to Pro-Football-Reference. The inability to protect consistently led to Mahomes looking more uncomfortable in general than we’ve seen him, which likely contributed to the drop off in his numbers.