After missing out on the playoffs for the first time in a decade, Patrick Mahomes believes the Kansas City Chiefs can bounce back, even go for a Super Bowl. Yet, with a young defensive squad and aging veterans, that dream looks difficult.

That's what Sam Acho and Ben Solak believed, as they reacted to Mahomes' Yahoo Sports Daily interview during NFL Live on ESPN.

While Damien Woody refused to rule out the Chiefs with Mahomes in play, Acho said, "I have my doubts. Last year, Travis Kelce is supposed to be kind of like their star, at least for the last decade. Last year he had 76 receptions. That's his lowest in about a decade. You saw the seven or so drops at critical times... Number two, I'm also concerned about Patrick Mahomes' health. He's aiming to be back in week one, but let's say he's not. You could start off on the wrong foot."

And he's not wrong. Kelce had 7 drops last season, the 11th most in the league. He had 851 yards, a number lower than his historical records. Moreover, Kelce only managed a completion rate of 70.4%, his lowest in the last four years.

It spells even more trouble for the Chiefs, considering he's Reid's most experienced receiver. Kelce has played alongside Mahomes for nine years. If Mahomes, who is recovering from injury, and Travis Kelce are not back to 100% before the start of the season, the offense can sputter.

But that's not the only problem the team may face in their Super Bowl bid. As Ben Solak added:

"Damien says, 'I'm not sure I'm going to pick the Chiefs to win the West.' I'm not sure they're going to be the second best team in the West... We're relying on a lot of rookies. And Steve Spagnuolo has been remarkable over his tenure with the Chiefs in getting good production out of young players, but you're making a lot of bets on that side of the ball on some of those young players."

The defense lost linebacker Leo Chenal and cornerback Trent McDuffie, two stellar parts of the defense. And sure, while they did replace them with Mason Thomas and Mansoor Delane, they're still rookies. If the team isn't able to cope on defense, it could be a Cowboys-like situation.

At the same time, while there's concern for this off-season, Mahomes has a lot of hope out of one free agent's arrival.

Patrick Mahomes' outlook for 2026

In the last few years, Patrick Mahomes' dual-threat ability made up for some of the attack on the ground for the Chiefs. And now, the arrival of Super Bowl MVP-winning running back Kenneth Walker III has Mahomes excited.

Talking to Yahoo Sports, Mahomes said, "He's one of the best football players I've ever been around, and I can just say that from watching practices and what he does. I mean, he's a great leader on and off the field, too. He helps out a ton of the younger guys, and then it'll be nice to just hand it off to a guy like that, let him make the plays happen. I mean, he's a great football player. He learns fast. He helps out the guys around him, and I'm sure he'll make everybody else's job a lot easier."

With the start of training camps just a little while away, hope rides on Mahomes and Walker's shoulders. Do you think they will take the team to the Super Bowl?

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Written by

Siddharth Shirwadkar